


Have You Ever Seen The Rain?

by mariposaroja



Category: MotoGP RPF, Motorcycling RPF
Genre: F/M, Fake Relationship, ish?, messaging, much ;), we do not talk about sepang
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-21
Updated: 2018-03-23
Packaged: 2018-08-10 05:42:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 22,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7832542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mariposaroja/pseuds/mariposaroja
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He's a multiple MotoGP world champion. She's an Olympic diver.<br/>His manager thinks he needs to get over his break up. Her manager thinks he'll be good for her image.<br/>Neither of them think this is a good idea.</p><p>And yet...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. This is...

**Author's Note:**

> So here it is, my first OFC fic :0  
> I was inspired yesterday while watching the diving semi (still crying) and decided to just go for it even though it's nothing like anything I've ever written before.  
> Hope you enjoy! :/

“Sorry to cut it, but could I please steal her for a moment?” Flashing her most tried and tested smile, Lidia linked her arm with the younger woman’s, barely waiting for an answer before whisking her charge away. The crowd had died down a little bit since the dinner (which had been fantastic as ever), enabling them to meander easily through the relatively small number of people still gathered around the bar area.

Arching an eyebrow, Savanah couldn’t help but laugh. “Am I allowed to have more than one this time?”

“You’ve had _two_ , be thankful,” her manager and friend reminded her with a smirk, that an ongoing joke between the two of them. The truth was, her head felt a little light. When one maintained as strict a diet regime as she did, alcohol was a vice that she couldn’t often afford to indulge in; meaning that when she did have a glass or two of rose, it went almost directly to her head.

“I’m very thankful.” They both knew that Savanah needed no discouragement, always focused enough to be more than capable of regulating her own behaviour. “Where are you taking me? Do I need to shout ‘kidnap’?”

Ignoring that, Lidia smiled in _that_ way that always made the younger woman simultaneously want to roll her eyes and a little bit afraid too. _Great_ , she thought, _I’m being pulled from the fire and tossed into the frying pan_. Had to be someone more important than the editor of one of Europe’s biggest sports magazines. Probably a potential sponsor, she quickly concluded. She was never sure who she disliked talking to the most. Or maybe _tolerated_ was a better word. Not caring to weigh up the pros and cons, Savanah labelled it a tie.

“There’s someone I think you should meet.”

“Well then lead the way,” she replied sarcastically, but by no means maliciously, as she gestured in front of them.

“There he is,” Lidia grinned, all impossibly white teeth, as she released her grip on Savanah’s arms to greet a man, more or less her manager’s own age, with a kiss on both cheeks. “Albert, glad to see you’re still here. Thought I might catch you before dinner but I suppose you’ve been just as caught up as we have.”

“Probably not surprising after the year we’ve both had,” the man, Albert, replied in accented English (definitely Spanish) in a way that would lead you to believe he’d just survived a war.

“Definitely not! I’d like to finally introduce you to Savanah, my champion. Where’s yours?”

Despite the sense of déja vu, Savi shook his hand, wearing her best smile as always. “Pleased to meet you.”

“Pleasure is all mine. Congratulations on the championship, by the way. Jorge just had to take a quick phone call outside but he’ll be back in a minute. Are you enjoying your evening so far?”

*****

Stepping in from the cool night time air, the weather in Zurich cold despite being the middle of May, Jorge loosened his scarf a little so that he didn’t look like he was either in the Antarctic or riding through the Sahara as the heavy escape door closed with thud behind him.

The crowd seemed to have dwindled even more since he’d stepped outside, making Albert easy to spot. He wasn’t at all surprised to find that his manager wasn’t alone, but speaking with two women; the closest tall and incredibly thin with short blond hair and the second quite considerably smaller, even in heels, with dark hair that was pinned at the nape of her neck. While nowhere near as thin as the blond, the brunette somehow looked in better shape, at least if her calf muscles and exposed arms in her sleeveless nude dress were anything to go by.

Catching his rider’s eye, Albert waved Jorge over. As if that hadn’t been his plan anyway.

“He finally returns. Jorge, there’s someone I would like you to meet.”

The reigning MotoGP world champion had been expecting journalists, maybe even sponsors. He hadn’t, however, been expecting to be introduced to someone that he already knew- or, well, knew _of_. It was only when he saw the brunette’s face that Jorge recognised her, only taking him a couple of seconds longer to remember from where.

“This is Savanah Maier-“

“I know who she is.”

Savanah’s eyes widened at that, and not pleasantly so. “Right…”

Realising almost instantly that that probably (definitely) sounded more than a little dismissive, Jorge knew that that statement needed to be clarified and quickly before he was branded an asshole after saying four words to the girl. “Excuse me, I meant that as a compliment.”

Despite feeling at a disadvantage that he knew who she was and she had no clue, Savi laughed. “You need to work on your compliments.”

Trying his best not to cringe, Albert exchanged an exasperated look with his female counterpart, deciding it was best to step in since Jorge obviously couldn’t be trusted to socialise effectively by himself. “Let me try that again: Jorge, this is Savanah, the current women’s 10 metre diving European champion. Savanah, this is Jorge Lorenzo, the current MotoGP world champion.”

The young woman took initiative, extending her hand to shake his. “Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.” Despite how tiny her hand felt in his, her grip was firm and he was always a firm believer that you could tell a lot about a person from the way that they shook hands.

“This is her manager, Lidia.”

“How do you two know each other?” Savanah enquired, almost taking the words out of his mouth.

Smiling a bit too widely, the blonde decided to take that one on. “We met through a mutual friend not too long ago and we thought it would be a good idea to introduce the two of you.”

He saw his fellow athlete’s delicate eyebrows raise and he instantly knew she was thinking the same thing as he: _why?_ The answer would probably be something along the lines of “you’re a sportsperson, she’s a sportsperson too”. As if that would immediately explain everything.

_“Savi’s from Munich but is living in Zurich.”_

_“Jorge’s from Mallorca but is living in Lugano.”_

Standing there awkwardly as their manager’s acted like they were auditioning for the voice over role on a tv game show, both knew that it was going to be a long night.

*****

“So…” Jorge began, feeling a lot less smothered when the dynamic duo went to the bar to get some wine, “you’re from Munich.”

Savi hummed, “A small village just outside that no one’s ever heard of. I just moved here earlier this year. It’s not a million miles away from home…”

“Why did you move?”

Narrowing her eyes, Savanah had to resist the urge to cross her arms. “Why did you move?”

“Better training facilities.”

“Better training facilities.”

“Right.”

“Right…”

*****

Remaining eerily quiet for the entirety of the taxi ride home, too afraid of going on a rant to open her mouth, Savanah waited until they were finally back in the privacy of her own home before finally letting go.

“Would you mind telling me what that was about?”

Having now lost that overly friendly smile that she had been wearing the whole time they were with the Spaniards, until- fortunately- Jorge was pulled away by someone from Marca, Lidia calmly removed her coat, taking the time to hang it up before answering.

“I think you would make a nice couple.”

 _You… WHAT._ Completely exasperated, the diver took a deep breath in an effort to remain calm. “Lidia, you’re my manager; I don’t think matchmaker is in the job description.”

“Well, when an opportunity presents itself?”

“What opportunity? It was absolutely painful!”

Her manager rolled her eyes. “It wasn’t that bad, you’re being dramatic.”

“Yes it was! You know relationships are the bottom of my list of priorities at the moment. And, even if I was interested in having one, it honestly felt like some kind of Jane Austen-esque arranged marriage.”

“I’m not trying to marry you off to him, I’m just saying that it might be a good idea.”

“Why? It’s not like there was any attraction there. We spoke for like five minutes.”

Shrugging, Lidia sauntered over to the sink to get herself a glass of water. “Savi, I’m not saying that you actually have to date him.”

Now completely and utterly confused, Savanah arched an eyebrow. _Surely not…_ “What?” she laughed, “You want me to _pretend_ to date him?”

“Well, not exactly pretend…”

“Oh my god.”

“Savi-“

“I cannot believe this. What, do you think just because I don’t date that people will think there’s something wrong with me?” she chuckled humourlessly, “Or worse? Maybe they’ll think that I’m playing for the other team? Wouldn’t want that now, would we?

“I’m a professional athlete, I’m going to the Olympics. The insinuation that I need to be someone’s girlfriend for people to really like me is just completely insulting.”

Savanah was right, of course. She was a champion in her own right, having worked all her life for it, and no one could take that away from her. There was nothing wrong, however, in looking for a _little_ boost in her profile. “You’re right. You don’t have to prove anything to anyone. But would it really hurt to just follow him on Twitter and Instagram? Like a couple of his pictures, wish him good luck for the odd race? Give people something to talk about even if it’s all smoke and no fire?”

No, she wouldn’t do it. Savanah had always been used to her manager having a bit of a heavy hand when it came to her career but this… this was completely divorced from any managerly duties she could possibly have.

“I’m going to bed.”

*****

“What do you think of Savanah?”

Brow furrowing, Jorge turned his head towards his manager, sitting on the opposite side in the back of the cab. He had a funny feeling there was something suspicious going on... “She’s fine. Why?”

“She’s pretty.”

Resisting the urge to groan, grateful that they could speak Catalan and keep their conversation private, the MotoGP rider rolled his eyes, finally understanding where this was going. “She’s what, 17?”

“She’s 22, Jorge, don’t worry.”

 _Such a difference_. “Well thank god for that,” sarcasm practically dripped from his voice, failing to see why it should make any difference to him. “Are you trying to set me up?”

Not even bothering to look even a little bit ashamed, Albert shrugged. “I’m just saying that she’s pretty. And she’s an Olympic athlete. You could do a lot worse. You _have_ done a lot worse.”

“What makes you think that I would even be interested? And don’t say because she’s hot and an athlete,” he added before his manager and friend had a chance to go there. “People are either attracted to each other or they’re not. You can’t exactly force it.”

“You’ve only met her for like 10 minutes.”

“Exactly! This is one of the most bizarre conversations I’ve ever had. Do you harassed Ricky and the Espargarós like this?”

“I’m not saying you have to marry her; I’m just saying that being seen with her would do you some favours. Hell, even flirting with her on Twitter would do the job. A girl like her would be good for your reputation.”

More than a little bit offended, Jorge folded his arms across his chest. “What’s wrong with my reputation?”

Albert pointedly ignored that one. “Follow her on Instragram or whatever. Like some of her pictures. You never know, it might help you get over _her_.”

 _Ah, there it is._ Knowing it had to come down to that in some way, Jorge grimaced, the short amount of time that had passed since the break up meaning that those wounds were still fresh. The whole thing left him feeling a little depressed; if he couldn’t make it work with someone he’d known and loved for years then what hope was there for him with someone else? “I don’t need a rebound, I’m fine.”

“Even so, it can’t hurt to take your mind off it for a little while. Have a little fun.”

Jaw clenching, he turned to face the darkness outside the window once again. “I’m trying to catch up with Marquez in the championship. Again. Fun isn’t exactly on my list of priorities at the moment.”

Albert left it there. He wasn’t trying to force his rider and friend to like the girl, it was just a suggestion. The truth was, Jorge had been increasingly tense since his break up with Nuria and Albert, amongst others, was afraid that that tension, that inability to let go, would have repercussions on track.

“Alright.”

*****

Having difficulty sleeping was something that Jorge had gotten used to over the past couple of weeks. He would go through pretty much the same routine night after night; when he found himself unable to drift off, he’d stare at the ceiling, though it was barely visible, for a little while as he willed himself to fall asleep. When that didn’t work he would pick up his phone, flicking through all of his social media accounts until his eyelids became so heavy that he just dropped the phone at random on the bed and finally drifted off.

But tonight he had an additional problem: he couldn’t get what Albert had said out of his head. While he had little to no interest in the girl, he thought it would be at least polite to follow her on Instagram. Just to show that he respected her as an athlete…

His thumb did a little dance over his keypad for a moment before he finally tapped the search field and began to type.

There were a couple of results for her name, some obviously fan pages, and he tapped into the first, the one with the blue symbol next to the name.

_SaviMaier_

_Deutsch. Olympic (eek!) diver but more importantly, FC Bayern fan._

_Zürich_

His finger hovered over the follow button for a moment before he finally bit the bucket and tapped it, the little rectangle turning blue.

*****

Padding back in from the bathroom, Savanah climbed back into bed despite her alarm having gone off a couple of minutes previous. She was sure that she at least deserved an extra twenty minutes or so after the long night she’d had. Pulling up the covers against her chest, she reached over and unplugged her phone, typing in her pin to find the usual amount of notification from different apps; a couple of Twitter mentions, a number of Instagram likes, some snaps from her friend…

Swiping them all away one by one, she faltered when she came to the last:

_Jorgelorenzo99 is now following you._

Her interest sufficiently piqued, she nervously tapped into it, feeling a little strange when she realised that it was in fact the guy from the previous night. Toying with the idea of ignoring it completely, Savanah remembered Lidia’s words and, before she knew what she was doing, she tapped the follow button.

_Well, it would be rude not to follow back._


	2. Conspiracy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you ♥ Short chapter

Tying her still wet hair up in a messy knot on top of her head, Savi shivered as she hastily jumped into her best friend’s car, needing to get in out of the cold before she caught her death. It was somewhat depressing, the fact that it was the second day of May and she had her comfiest hoody and scarf on and was _still_ freezing. Chucking her gear bag between the gap in the seats into the back, she wasted no time in adjusting the temperature dial on the dash.

“You’re perpetually cold,” Charlie chuckled, not even bothering with a proper greeting as she started the car once again, tucking her long blond hair behind her ear before checking on her right and pulling out into the exit lane.

“You try spending all morning in and out of the water. Maybe it would help if it weren’t fucking five degrees outside.”

Shaking her head in mild disbelief, never knowing why someone that got so cold didn’t just _wear a jacket_ , the other woman turned the temperature up even more. “Wouldn’t want for you to catch a cold before Rio, would we? Usual spot?”

 _Rio… agh_. Trying not to do that little anxious shift she always seemed compelled to do at the mention of her end of summer plans, Savanah nodded. “Yep.”

*****

Humming appreciatively as she pressed the cup, filled with the creamiest latte she’d ever tasted, against her lips, she gave a contented sigh after the first sip, grimacing at Charlie when she was met with that smug expression the nurse seemed to always have on her face whenever they indulged. As if she was corrupting her. Could a woman not enjoy a hot beverage that wasn’t strictly good for her every now and then?

“How was last night?”

 _Er…_ “Fine, I guess. Bit… weird but other than that…”

“Weird? In what way?” Charlie leaned forward in her seat, as if she was expecting some bit of scandalous news. How disappointed she would be.

“I don’t know,” Savi shrugged, and that wasn’t a lie. It wasn’t as if she wasn’t introduced to people her manager, or anyone else for that matter, thought she ought to know on a fairly regular basis. She’d just never been so brazenly propositioned. “Lidia was very insistent that I be introduced to someone.”

 _Is that so_? “Oh really? And who is this someone, pray tell? Please tell me it’s more interesting than the usual swimsuit designer or I’m going to be very disappointed.”

The diver wondered for a moment why she was beating around the bush with this. She should have just came out with it straight away so that her best friend could share in her indignation. Only, Savanah wasn’t too sure that she would take her side. “Some motorcyclist. A MotoGP world champion.”

Eyes widening comically, Charlie almost laughed. “Italian?”

“Spanish, I think.” _That’s a lie_. “Actually, definitely Spanish.”

“The most beautiful man you’ve ever seen in your entire life?”

 _Huh?_ Now incredibly confused, Savanah put down her mug so she could put more effort into successfully eyeing the other women warily. “Uh, not that I remember, no. Sounds like you have someone in mind?” _How do you have someone in mind?_

Charlie gave her a crooked smile. “David watches races sometimes, I like to admire the view.”

“While in the presence of your boyfriend?”

“Well, it’s not like I haven’t caught him eyeing up those girls with the umbrellas… Anyway, this guy, Marquez, looks like he’s been carved by God himself. So maybe it wasn’t him because you definitely would have known…”

Making a mental note to do some googling, Savi took another sip of her latte, grimacing when it burned her tongue just a little bit. “Nope, it wasn’t him. His name was Lorenzo.”

Playful demeanour changing slightly, Charlie nodded as if everything suddenly made sense. “Ah.”

 _What’s that supposed to mean?_ “’ _Ah’_? You’re going to have to elaborate on that one.”

“I don’t really know much about him to be honest. I’m just disappointed it’s not Marc Marquez.”

“Okay, well he followed me on Instagram last night.”

“Did you follow back??”

“Yeah.”

Looking genuinely surprised, Charlie grinned over her cup of hot chocolate and marshmallows (bitch). “I’m proud.”

 _Wait for it…_ “Lidia thinks I should pretend to date him.”

More than a little bit amused by how her best friend practically did a spit take, Savanah couldn’t help how the corners of her mouth curled up as she closed her lips around the cup once again.

“WHAT??”

*****

Relaxing in the airport lounge, relatively quiet thankfully, Jorge twisted the half empty cup of coffee in front of him absentmindedly. Poor night’s sleep and delayed flight did not a happy Yamaha rider make. Although, he thought, it could have been a lot worse: he could have been stuck there with his team mate. The rift that last season had created, worse than even the darkest of days for the Yamaha team mates, had done damage to their already tenuous relationship that could never be healed. Not when they continued to be on opposite sides of the garage and when Valentino remained MotoGP’s sweetheart anyway.

Plonking down on the couch next to him, Marc looked completely unapologetic, even when on the receiving end of one serious glare. “How was the dinner?”

“Fine. Until Albert tried to set me up.”

The trainer laughed for a moment before quickly realising from the unimpressed look on the other man’s face that he wasn’t joking. “He didn’t…”

“He did.”

“Wow, that’s hilarious. Who was she? And just how drunk were the two of you?”

“It’s not hilarious because we were completely sober and so was she so it was just uncomfortable. A diver.”

Unable to resist the opportunity, Marc smirked. “Ronaldo or Torres?”

 _Okay, that was a good one_. “Neither. And a lot prettier thankfully.”

“Am I going to get more information than “a diver”? I can’t sympathise properly if I don’t know all the details…”

 _I’m sure._ Not caring enough to put up a fight, Jorge picked up his phone and clicked into Instagram, handing it over when he’d got to her profile. The other man looked pleasantly surprised enough by what he saw that the reigning world champion actually felt insulted.

“Bayern,” Marc wrinkled his nose before scrolling down, “Wow, she’s really flexible…”

“Yeah, well I suppose she would have to be.”

“Isn’t she like really young?”

 _That’s what I said._ “Yes and no, I think Albert said she was twenty two. It’s not like it matters anyway.”

Corner of his mouth tugging upwards, Marc tried to hide his smile as he gave a little shrug. “You never know…”

“You- What are you doing?!”

Frantically grabbing for the phone, Jorge cursed when he retrieved it and realised that the damage had already been done. Absolutely indignant, he made sure the other man got a very hard elbow to the ribs. “Are you a child? Seriously? Now you’ve just made me look like an idiot. Or worse, a weirdo!” Glowering at the screen, Jorge knew that unliking the series of pictures would not make the notifications go away on her end.

“Well, now you’ve got a reason to message her,” Marc explained, eyes narrowed, as he exaggeratedly rubbed his side, “You’re welcome.”

“Welcome? I want to kill you!”

“But you don’t really.”

“But I really do,” he assured him, getting up suddenly with a huff, “I’m going to get another coffee.”

*****

They were just getting back into Charlie’s car when Savi went to check the time on her phone and saw that she had a number of Instagram notifications. That in itself wasn’t too unusual. What was unusual, however, was they were all from _him_. All 8 of them.

“Okay…” Half laughing, half confused, she refreshed to make sure it wasn’t some glitch. It wasn’t.

“What’s up?” her best friend enquired, practically leaning across the centre console to get a better view. Not knowing how to explain that one, Savanah just handed it over, almost afraid to see how the other woman reacted. It went as expected. “Oh, wow… I don’t know whether I should be happy or concerned for you.”

“How about neither?” she wondered, reaching out for the phone once again, just giving a little shake of her head as she tucked it back into her pocket, making a mental note to make sure that Lidia never heard about this.

*****

JorgeLorenzo99: This is a bit awkward but I should probably apologise about that… This will probably seem like a complete lie but my trainer got his hands on my phone

JorgeLorenzo99: Well, I gave it to him but I won’t be making that mistake again

Laughing away to herself as she perched on the bed, towel wrapped around her as she waited to get into the shower, Savanah contemplated her reply for a moment.

SaviMaier: First of all, hi J Second: hahaha okay that makes a lot more sense. And you don’t need to apologise, don’t worry

JorgeLorenzo99: Oh, hi! That’s good, I was worried… I would offer to fire him but it’s really hard to find a good trainer

SaviMaier: It’s okay, you don’t have to fire him on my account ;) I know how it is.

JorgeLorezo99: I guess I’ll just have to settle for ignoring his existence at least until we get to France. If we ever get there at this stage

SaviMaier: Haha, that sounds like a good plan. Plane or airport?

JorgeLorenzo99: Airport. Plane delayed.

JorgeLorenzo99: I wouldn’t mind but it’s like a 7 hour drive to Le Mans from Zurich, in the time it will take with waiting and the actual flight we would almost be there

SaviMaier: Well, at least you’ll have a weekend of relaxation! ;)

JorgeLorenzo99: So relaxing…

JorgeLorenzo99: I think they’re calling my flight?!

SaviMaier: A miracle! Safe flight (if this is actually Jorge…)

JorgeLorenzo99: Thanks (Yes, this is Jorge)

SaviMaier: (Sounds like something his trainer would say…)

JorgeLorenzo99: Well I just posted a selfie by the gate so…

SaviMaier: Okay, I believe you…

_SaviMaier liked one of your photos._


	3. Foot in Mouth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short one! Thank you ♥

“Uh, Savi?”

Returning with a bowl filled precariously with popcorn, Savanah carefully navigated her way onto the couch, trying not to spill it all over the place like she usually did. Only one or two pieces abandoned ship, so it was a relatively successful mission. Handing the bowl over to Charlie, she tucked her feet beneath her on the couch, groaning when she saw they the DVD hadn’t been put in yet and had to get up again.

“What?”

“Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but…”

She waited until she had put in the disc to enquire as to what the bad news was, taking the outstretched phone from her friend warily as she plonked down on the couch once again, this time for good hopefully. It really shouldn’t have surprised her that she was on Lorenzo’s profile once again, but this time she had clicked into one particular image, posted three weeks ago.

“Wow, she’s seriously hot,” was her first thought, though something told her that that wasn’t what the other woman was expecting or wanted to hear.

As expected, Charlie made a face that told her she was clearly missing the point. “He has a girlfriend.”

“So?”

“That’s so disappointing.”

 _For who? You?_ Laughing, Savi, very ungracefully, shoved a handful of popcorn into her mouth. “Don’t know how I’ll go on, to be honest.”

Charlie pouted. “You’re infuriating. You’ve got access to all these gorgeous men and you don’t take advantage of it.”

 _What?_ “You just said he had a girlfriend!”

“I didn’t mean him _specifically_. In general!”

Savanah ignored that, always of the opinion that you didn’t _have_ to be in a relationship to be happy or fulfilled. Picking the remote up off the coffee table, she pulled the blanket that she always kept folded next to the couch over the two of them. “Can we watch the movie now?”

“Fine,” the other woman quickly conceded, giving her best friend a wry smile before cuddling up by shifting to that her head was comfortably leaning against the arm of the couch.

Humming with contentment as the movie began to play, Savanah tried her best to relax, the preparations for the upcoming games meaning that she was stiffer than ever after her daily work outs. Her trainer, Guy, however was amazing. He seemed to know exactly when she was reaching her limits and always managed to convince her to take it down a notch, even when all she wanted to do was keep pushing on.

Keeping the balance was greatly helped by Charlie, who worked as a nurse in the hospital ten minutes down the road. While Charlie wasn’t exactly completely unhealthy, she liked to enjoy herself and always seemed to manage to coax the diver into doing (and eating) things that she usually wouldn’t and probably shouldn’t. It made such a difference coming home in the evening and doing things together that were completely, well, normal.

“Oh my god, they have a dog together!”

“Charlotte, put away that phone or I swear…”

*****

“To think,” Albert grinned almost evilly, clapping his rider on the back as he sat down next to him in hospitality, “This day next year we’re going to be celebrating your thirtieth.”

 _Fuck off_. Merely shrugging, Jorge popped a grape into his mouth. “It would really be a shame if you weren’t here to witness it…”

“I really hope that that would be because I’m fired and not because I won’t _be here_ to celebrate it.”

“I leave the interpretation up to you.”

“Has Mama Maria called yet to wish her little boy a happy birthday?”

Wondering why he’d ever hired Albert in the first place, he didn’t even react to that for fear of only encouraging him more. “No, but I did get a text from Laura that just said “one more year…” It was mildly frightening.”

“Anything from…?”

It was obvious to what, or rather to _whom_ , the other man was referring. Jorge didn’t even flinch that time, so it must have meant it getting better… right?

“A snapchat from Timo saying happy birthday. I’m not expecting much more to be honest. I didn’t even think I would get that.”

“You did say you would still be friends…”

“But there’s a period of time after you break up that it’s just not possible, right? There needs to be… space or else it’s just weird.”

Albert hesitated for a moment, biting down on his lower lip. “Do you think…”

He wanted to say yes, he really did. When they had been together, it had been fantastic. She’d seen him through some of the most challenging days of his life and some of the happiest. And he would be lying if he said that he wouldn’t always love her, but maybe they would be happier apart. Although right now it didn’t seem like it.

“I don’t think so.”

*****

JorgeLorenzo99: The cake gets bigger every year…

SaviMaier: @JorgeLorenzo99 That cake is magnificent

JorgeLorenzo99: @SaviMaier It tastes as good as it looks!

*****

DM SaviMaier: Happy birthday btw! Hope it’s a good day

DM JorgeLorenzo99: Thank you. It would be better if it was Sunday, too many interviews today!

DM SaviMaier: I know how you feel! Well, at least they might be nice to you…

DM JorgeLorenzo99: I doubt that’s going to happen. They’re never nice to me

DM SaviMaier: Well you are the reigning champion, if they’re not going to be nice to you then who will they be nice to? J

DM JorgeLorenzo99: Jajajaja I’ll be sure to tell Marc you said that, I’m sure he’ll get a good kick out of it

DM JorgeLorenzo99: There’s only one person in MotoGP they’re nice to and it is not us

DM SaviMaier: Ah yes, the famous Marc Marquez

DM JorgeLorenzo99: Why am I not surprised that you know of him?

SaviMaier: I don’t, when I mentioned that I’d met a MotoGP rider to my best friend she assumed (hoped) it was him. Apparently he’s easy on the eye…

JorgeLorenzo99: She’s got very poor taste ;) But yes, he is. Bastard.

SaviMaier: Well, if it’s any consolation you’re not completely hideous?

JorgeLorenzo99: Probably the best compliment I’ve ever gotten in my life…

SaviMaier: Be quiet Mr “I know who she is”

JorgeLorenzo99: I was simply stating a fact!

SaviMaier: You should have stated it better :P

JorgeLorenzo99: Speaking of which… apologies for my manager. He made things a bit awkward

SaviMaier: Mine was as bad as yours, trust me.

JorgeLorenzo99: Okay then, they were equally bad

SaviMaier: I think mine was worse…

Wondering whether or not she should even go there, Savanah hesitated for a moment before quickly typing out another message.

SaviMaier: I should tell you something but I don’t want it to be weird…

JorgeLorenzo99: Go ahead

SaviMaier: My manager wants me to “pretend” to date you

JorgeLorenzo99: Oh wow :P I don’t know whether the fact that mine actually wants me to date you is worse or better than that.

SaviMaier: Hahaha worse! Seeing as you have a girlfriend?

 _Oops…_ Mentally cursing herself for giving the fact that she’d been looking through his page away, albeit through no fault of her own. _Well, there’s nothing I can do now…_

JorgeLorenzo99: Instagram

SaviMaier: Yep, but it was previously mentioned best friend’s doing, promise!

JorgeLorenzo99: Jaja, don’t worry about it

JorgeLorenzo99: And actually that is my ex-girlfriend now. We broke up a couple of weeks ago

 _Oh shit_.

SaviMaier: I’m sorry :/ I shouldn’t have said anything

JorgeLorenzo99: It’s fine, don’t worry.

SaviMaier: Still, sorry! I should probably go to training and not ruin your birthday any more…

JorgeLorenzo99: You haven’t ruined it, trust me. It’s not like I’d forgotten and you reminded me.

Jorge Lorenzo99: You must be training 24/7 at this stage

SaviMaier: Pretty much! I vary my days in intensity. Yesterday was a shorter day… :/

SaviMaier: And word on the street is Tom Daley’s coach has got him doing ballet…

JorgeLorenzo99: We’ll do anything for our sports :P

SaviMaier: I thought gymnastics was enough but apparently I need to step up my game!

JorgeLorenzo99: Okay, one question before you go… Do you actually dive into those pits with the foam blocks?

SaviMaier: Haha yes!

SaviMaier: And yes, it is as fun as it looks

JorgeLorenzo99: Okay, it’s officially on my to-do list.

SaviMaier: Haha, stop by training sometime and you can have a go

JorgeLorenzo99: I hope you know that I will show up

SaviMaier: That’s fine :P Just maybe give me a heads up first so that I can actually be there ;)

JorgeLorenzo99: I promise I will!

SaviMaier: Enjoy your cake and happy birthday again :)

JorgeLorenzo99: I will! I’ll have another slice on your behalf ;)

SaviMaier: Better be good, can’t afford the extra calories!

JorgeLorenzo99: It is! So worth it…

Wishing very much that she could determine that for herself, Savanah gave a little chuckle as she shook her head to herself, tossing her phone into her gear bag before jogging off in the direction of the gymnasium while all the while attempting to mentally prepare herself for the inevitable torture that was to come.

_Lucky bastard._


	4. Stuck between Lorenzo and Marquez

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologise for all the messaging in this chapter. I also apologise for this chapter, I just need to get where I'm going? If that makes sense! :P ♥

_Keep pushing… it’s all worth it…_

Muscles on fire, Savanah mustered up every last ounce of strength she had to do one last crunch, pushing past the point of almost agonising pain.

_I don’t want to do this. I don’t want to do this._

Sensing that change in her demeanour, her trainer, Guy, placed his hand firmly down on her abdomen, signalling that it was time to stop. As if she could have gone on even if she wanted to. A stifled cry escaped her, and all she could do was let her head fall back against the mat in pure relief. Most of the time after working out she felt at least somewhat invigorated- now she just felt like she would never be able to move from that spot again, every last inch of her body crying out for her to put it out of its misery.

Gratefully accepting the proffered bottle of water, Savanah grimaced, her eyes beginning to prickle as she fought the urge to cry with what little bit of strength she had left. “Why am I doing this?”

“You know why.”

 _Do I?_ “Really? I’m not so sure.”

Guy didn’t answer straight away, handing his athlete a clean towel instead. If he thought for a moment that her heart wasn’t in this anymore, he would have no problem letting her walk away. But the woman in front of him, albeit momentarily defeated, wasn’t someone to just lay down and die, even if she sometimes thought she wanted to.

“When you’re up on that podium in however many weeks, you’ll know then. Now take five and then we’ll do a couple of cool-down laps of the pool.”

Squeezing her eyes shut as a last resort to keep the tears from spilling over, she gave the weakest of nods, heart still pounding in her ears as she rested the cool bottle against her forehead.

_I want to run away and never look back._

*****

“How was training?”

Shooting her best friend a look that could have killed her stone dead ten times over, the diver dramatically dropped her gear bag next to the stairs, having to seriously restrain herself so she wouldn’t break into a sprint (not that she physically could at this stage) and tackle the other woman for the tikka masala that was innocently propped up on her lap.

“Fan-fucking-tastic.”

Eyebrow raising, Charlie immediately decided that it was one of _those_ days. And they’d had a few in all the years they’d been friends, nearly all coming the in months leading up to major tournaments. “I thought Olympic athletes are usually a lot happier.”

“They lie. Every single one of them.”

Frowning as her best friend curled up on the coach alongside her, Charlie loosely tangled their fingers together, with little resistance from the other woman. She wouldn’t expect anything else, not when her methods were tried and tested. “Maybe you’re just pushing yourself too hard?” the blonde offered, scooping some of her food onto a fork and spooning it into Savanah’s open and ready mouth.

“Maybe not hard enough. Tomorrow’s Sunday,” she answered with a pout, feeling of helplessness and self-pity going from bad to worse.

 _Please, don’t._ “Yes, and you have the day off. You should be happy.”

Expecting the diver to spout something about feeling guilty about not training, she was surprised when she instead complained that Sunday meant Monday and Monday meant more training. “You just need to switch off. All this obsessing really isn’t good for you, especially when there’s no need for it. You still have time.”

Not sure she would understand, Savi gave no reply to that. Instead, she hugged a pillow close to her chest, willing away that bit of traitorous moisture that made her eyes sting once again.

_Only three more months. Two more months and all this will be over._

*****

Lying in bed, the slight glow from her phone on the roof the only bit of light in her room, Savanah’s thumb once again hovered over the _send_ button. Much like a couple of night previous, she threw caution to the wind and, in the words of one of her sponsors and the great Shia le Beouf, just did it.

DM: @SaviMaier Can I ask you something?

She didn’t instantly regret it, but as the minutes started to go by and five minutes turned into ten, which turned into half an hour, she began to feel more and more like an idiot. _Why do you do these things?_

Until…

DM: @JorgeLorenzo99 Yeah, sure.

DM: @JorgeLorenzo99 Sorry, just finished up going through my night-before-race ritual

_Fuck, that’s tomorrow._

DM: @SaviMaier :/ Sorry! I completely forgot. I won’t keep you

DM: @JorgeLorenzo99 Don’t worry, all done know. Just turned in for the night. What’s up?

DM: @SaviMaier Sorry, I regret sending that message

DM: @JorgeLorenzo Has anyone ever told you you apologise too much?

DM: @SaviMaier Once or twice…

DM: @JorgeLorenzo99 Just spit it out already ;)

DM: @SaviMaier Fine

DM: @SaviMaier Do you/did you ever feel like just throwing in the towel?

The answer came a lot quicker than she could have expected for such a personal question.

DM: @JorgeLorenzo99 Of course. So many times. None recently but lots in the past

DM: @JorgeLorenzo99 Like when I rode a full race in Germany in 2013 after having surgery the day before to fix a broken collar bone. The worst was after a colleague of mine died during a race in 2011.

DM: @JorgeLorenzo99 I strongly considered giving up after that. But Marco never gave up. And, strange as it sounds, I think he would rather things ended up the way they did than giving up on the thing he loved more than anything just because there was a risk

DM: @SaviMaier: Oh my god, I’m so sorry. I feel awful for complaining now

DM: @JorgeLorenzo99 Don’t, just because your sport isn’t ever a matter of life and death doesn’t mean it isn’t hard for you

DM: @JorgeLorenzo99 So, what’s the matter? Let’s see if we can fix it

DM: @SaviMaier I don’t think it’s as simple as that

DM: @JorgeLorenzo Maybe not. But it’s worth a try, no? You wouldn’t have messaged me if you didn’t want help and I know how you feel

DM: @SaviMaier I’m just wondering what I’m doing this for. I’ve been working for this since I was a child, I’m pushing myself to the point of almost unbearable pain and all for what? I might flop in Rio, then what?

DM: @JorgeLorenzo99 Sounds to me like you just have stage fright. You’ve been working up to this moment for years and now that it’s almost here it’s terrifying. I remember feeling like that when I was close to winning my first MotoGP championship.

DM: @JorgeLorenzo99 I realised that, although I never wanted anything more in my life, it wouldn’t be my last race. Or my last chance to win a championship. These games are not your last chance. You’ll have the European championships, World Championships, Tokyo 2020…

DM: @JorgeLorenzo99 You’re an excellent diver, I’ve seen it myself. And even if you don’t medal in Rio, you’ve got so much left to achieve and time to do it

Letting out a shaky breath, Savanah bit her lip for a moment, typing out a message in her current state quite difficult.

DM: @SaviMaier You really think so?

DM: @JorgeLorenzo99 Absolutely

DM: @SaviMaier Thank you. I just… needed to hear something like that. I needed to hear EXACTLY that

DM: @JorgeLorenzo99 I’m glad you felt like you could tell me. I know how it is to feel like you don’t have someone to talk to. Trainers, managers, family- sometimes they’re just…

DM: @SaviMaier Too close

DM: @JorgeLorenzo99 Exactly

DM: @SaviMaier Well thank you so much anyway

DM: @SaviMaier I feel at a disadvantage again!

DM@JorgeLorenzo99 Why?

DM: @SaviMaier You’ve seen me dive and I haven’t seen you race

DM: @JorgeLorenzo99 Jaja, I guess we can fix that, no? You should come to a race. Take a break from your preparations

DM: @SaviMaier Any kind of break from my preparations sounds fantastic

DM: @JorgeLorenzo99 Take a look at the calendar and if any of the dates suit, come be my guest

DM: @SaviMaier Any?

DM: @JorgeLorenzo99 Sure. I mean, there’s probably only a couple between now and when you leave for Rio but yeah

DM: @SaviMaier I’ll have a look :) Thanks for the invite

DM: @JorgeLorenzo99 I’ve already invited myself along to one of your training sessions so we can call it even ;)

DM: @SaviMaier Quid pro quo, I like it!

DM: @JorgeLorenzo99 A nice arrangement indeed! Feeling better now?

DM: @SaviMaier So much better. Thanks again and sorry for keeping you up the night before a race

DM: @JorgeLorenzo99 Yeah, 10:30 is so late. You really should be sorry

DM: @JorgeLorenzo99 Only joking, anytime

DM: @SaviMaier Likewise

DM: @SaviMaier I mean, if you ever need someone to talk to. I know I haven’t got as much experience but…

DM: @JorgeLorenzo99 Experience counts for a lot more when you’ve been competing in a sport since you were 8! Thank you

DM: @SaviMaier Now go get the MotoGP equivalent of beauty sleep. After all that talk I’m expecting a win tomorrow ;)

DM: @JorgeLorenzo99 Jaja that would just be sleep. I’ll try to deliver ;) Night

DM: @SaviMaier Night. ¡Buena suerte para mañana!

DM: @JorgeLorenzo99 Jaja ¡gracias!

DM: @SaviMaier De nada :P

*****

@JorgeLorenzo99 “Everyone has the fire, but the champions know when to ignite the spark” #belief #alwaysremember

_SaviMaier likes your photo_

*****

Hearing raised voices downstairs, thankfully not in a “you’re having another fucking fight” way, Savanah reached out for her phone on the bedside locker, no longer needing to squint due to the brightness in the room. Yep, it was getting dangerously close to that part of the morning when it was becoming no longer socially acceptable to be in bed.

Stretching out her arms and legs, she was relieved to find they only ached minimally, and threw the covers off herself. She made the short trip out of her room and down the stairs, grabbing a hoody and a pair of fluffy socks along the way. Unsurprisingly, Charlie and her boyfriend, Peter, were already set up on the couch, a blanket draped over the two of them as they watched the tv, looking mildly distressed.

“Morning,” she moved quickly out of the way, sinking into the adjacent armchair.

Looking her way, the engineer smirked. “I heard someone is a bit of a grumpy champion at the moment.” No sooner were the words out of his mouth than he cursed, on the receiving end of a very sharp elbow to the ribs from his girlfriend.

Savannah, never one to take herself too seriously (especially when it came to Peter), shrugged. “I’m okay now.”

“Oh yeah?” Charlie arched an eyebrow, “what changed?”

 _Yeah, I’m not going to tell you for my own sanity._ “Just had a chat with someone.”

“Someone.”

 _You two are actually perfect for each other._ “A friend. Who’s been in my position before.” Swiftly turning her attention to the tv, she saw that they were watching the race. “MotoGP?”

“Moto3. 34 hot headed teenagers/barely adults flying around a track. Makes for fantastic entertainment.”

“Did I miss MotoGP?”

“No, don’t worry,” the blonde smirked, fixing her with a knowing look, “Moto2 is up next, then MotoGP.”

“Are we watching them all?”

 _Is that a problem? You never really care_. “We were planning on it…”

“Cool,” the diver stood once again, heading in the direction of the kitchen this time, “I’m going to get some breakfast and I will be back.”

*****

@SaviMaier: These Moto3 guys (and girls <3) are crazy! I love it #motogpfirsttimer

@SaviMaier: Officially got a girl crush on Maria Herrera #nice

*****

Shifting to find a more comfortable position, Savanah frowned, not sure she could take the drama of MotoGP if the lower classes were anything to go by. Especially when she actually personally (though not very well one might argue) knew one of the riders. Feeling Charlie’s gaze on her, she arched an eyebrow. “What?” Peter joined the diver in looking at the nurse questioningly.

“Nothing. We should have made you sit down and watch this months ago.”

“Hmm…”

“Who are you going for, Savs?”

Resisting the urge to grimace at her supposed best friend, Peter still clearly unaware of the awkward meeting with Lorenzo, Savanah merely shrugged. “It’s my first time watching, how could I possibly know? Maybe I should just go for whoever wins?” she chuckled, knowing that the other two would understand that that was the most unlikely outcome.

“You’ll be going for Marquez then,” Charlie winked, prompting her boyfriend to mutter something along the lines of “small, Spanish bastard”.

*****

“AGHHHHHHHH.”

“Noooooo!”

“What the actual fuck?”

Placing one hand over her chest, Savanah tried to breathe normal as she recovered from seeing the two riders go down at the exact same time, Charlie understandably the most upset of the three. She moped, jutting out her bottom lip as they watched the reply of the red bike and Marquez’ bike slide off the track.

“There’s the lead in the championship gone.”

Only a little bit amused, Savanah eyed the other woman with great suspicion. “You like this a lot more than you let on.”

“It gets its claws into you without you even knowing what’s happening. By then it’s too late.”

That must have been the case if Charlie, who only really watched diving because her best friend was one of the competitors, was getting so worked up over a sport. “So who’s leading the championship now?”

Eyes narrowing, the blonde stared at her as if it were somehow her fault, before taking a slow and almost menacing sip of coffee. “Jorge fucking Lorenzo.”

 _Oops_.

*****

_“Jorge Lorenzo wins the French Grand Prix in style.”_

_“Indeed. What a masterclass from Lorenzo.”_

“Woohoo!” Knowing she was taking her life into her hands, Savanah smirked, finding herself on the receiving end of two deathly glares. All in all, her first MotoGP experience was quite pleasant, barring- of course- the handful of heart attacks she’d suffered in the process.

“Unbelievable,” Peter shook his head, feigning great distaste, “I’m stuck between a Marquez fan and a Lorenzo fan. What an absolute nightmare.”

“Be quiet. Or my leg might just slip. It would be a shame if you were to… _fall_ _off_ the couch.”

“What’s our golden rule Charls?”

“We do not talk about Sepang…”

 


	5. Destination: Italy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's taken so long to update this! But many thanks to the Anon who helped me get my act in gear, this one is for you :D

Phone calendar and webpage open in front of her, Savannah flicked between the two, hoping she could actually find two dates that would add up. She did manage to find one but it was a bit… soon.

SaviMaier: Congratulations! What a race :)

It was obviously late enough in the day that the reply came relatively quick.

JorgeLorenzo99: Thank you :) It felt so good. Especially since I’ve been feeling a bit off-form lately

SaviMaier: Well, you looked every bit the world champion. Nice end to your birthday weekend. Celebrations planned for tonight?

JorgeLorenzo99: It was a pretty good end to the week. Just dinner and one or two drinks, very boring ;)

SaviMaier: It is your birthday, you deserve to have a little fun

Jorge Lorenzo99: I’ll have a little fun during the summer break. For now, focus!

SaviMaier: Good plan!

SaviMaier: About what you said last night…

JorgeLorenzo99: Which bit?

SaviMaier: Going to a race?

JorgeLorenzo99: Ah, yes. Have you decided?

SaviMaier: I had a look at the calendar and the one that suits me the most is actually the next one, which might be a bit soon?

JorgeLorenzo99: Mugello is fine for me if it suits you

SaviMaier: Really? Because if it’s inconvenient…

JorgeLorenzo99: Not at all. I’ll sort out a pass and you can collect it when you get there

JorgeLorenzo99: Would you like to bring a friend too? Because it’s just as easy to get two as one

SaviMaier: Thanks but I think it’s just me! Could you possibly recommend a hotel?

JorgeLorenzo: Jaja, try finding a hotel anywhere near Mugello at this stage. You can stay with me? We stay in motorhomes over the weekend but I have a spare room…

SaviMaier: I don’t want to intrude any more that I already am…

JorgeLorenzo: You’re not intruding at all

SaviMaier: If you’re sure?

JorgeLorenzo: I am sure. Promise

JorgeLorenzo: I’m being forcibly removed from my motorhome…. Talk later?

SaviMaier: If I’m not asleep after all the stress of today, sure. Enjoy :)

 

*****

SaviMaier: Congratulations @JorgeLorenzo99 on a seriously impressive win today. True Champions are always on form

*****

As expected, they didn’t speak again that night. He merely liked her photo that she’d tagged him in on Instagram and she his picture of his birthday/celebratory dinner. Savannah had almost been expecting Charlie to burst through the door and interrogate her about her not so private praise of the Yamaha rider and was surprised when her best friend kept to herself. To be perfectly honest, she hadn’t been completely sure what had possessed her to do that, but it just felt like the right thing to do after how he’d helped her the previous day.

Without giving it too much thought, Savi put down the phone and turned out the light.

*****

The house was empty the following morning when she woke for a day of training. Charlie had left for her shift at around four in the morning, so there she was once again, left alone with her thoughts. Breakfast was always a rather boring affair, more about getting all the right nutrition rather than being an explosion of taste. Sitting at the kitchen table, she munched on her authentic Swiss muesli, all the while wishing that she could be at home in Germany, being fed and fussed over by her mother.

Her phone chimed and Savannah reached out for it, rolling her eyes just a little when she saw the message from her manager.

Lidia: Eurosport Magazine interview 21st May?

_Are you actually kidding me?_

Of course this was going to happen. It was really just her luck that something would come up the moment she made plans. And it wasn’t just the request that annoyed her, the date could be changed, it was the fact that she would have to explain _why_.

Putting down her spoon, Savi swallowed her mouthful before pressing the ‘call’ button.

“Morning,” her manager sing-songed and it was blatantly obvious that she didn’t have a day of vigorous training ahead of her.

“Morning. About the interview… can we move it to the 20th instead?”

“I’ll see what I can do. Got something planned?”

_Hmm…_ “I’m going to Italy for a couple of days.”

“Ooh, sounds lovely. You’re in need of a bit of a break. With Charlie?”

“Uh, no. I’m going by myself but I’m meeting someone there.” _Please let this go._

“A boy??”

“A _friend_ , who just so happens to be a guy.”

There was a brief moment of silence. “What part are you going to?”

“Mugello?”

More silence. Silence never meant anything good. “Savannah…”

“Okay, I’m going to MotoGP.”

“Wow, you two seem to be getting along well.”

It would have been easier for her to be annoyed if her manager had been nosy about it instead of just sounding smug. Savannah gave an exaggerated eye-roll, but as much as it pained her to say it… “We are- but not in the way you’d like, I’m afraid.”

“Savi, I’m not trying to pimp you out. When I said he would be good for your image, I really meant that he would be good for _you_. He lives life at 300 kilometres an hour; if that helps you get out of whatever hole you seem to have found yourself in then I don’t care what your relationship with him is. I’ll move the interview- enjoy yourself, god knows you’ve earned it.”

*****

SaviMaier: Hey! Can I ask you something?

JorgeLorenzo: Have I ever said no? Just shoot

SaviMaier: So I’m going to be staying in your motorhome

JorgeLorenzo: That’s the plan… unless it makes you uncomfortable?

SaviMaier: No, it doesn’t. It’s just… people are going to think…

JorgeLorenzo: What, that we’re together? Isn’t that what you want?

SaviMaier: WHAT

SaviMaier: ????

JorgeLorenzo: You were the one that posted that picture of me on Instagram

SaviMaier: I wasn’t trying to insinuate that we were together!! I just wanted to congratulated you, a FRIEND

JorgeLorenzo: Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound like I was accusing you of anything. I just thought because of everything you told me about your manager…

SaviMaier: What?! You think I would start rumours about us without giving you a heads-up first?

SaviMaier: And besides, yours wanted you to get with me so unless you’re planning on trying something…

JorgeLorenzo: Okay, I get it. I apologise, I really didn’t mean to offend you.

SaviMaier: Don’t worry, it was just more of a shock more than anything

JorgeLorenzo: And about Mugello… yes, there’s a possibility that you will be romantically linked with me. But I’m sure you know that the media will try to make a story out of anything. I’m linked to every woman (and man sometimes) that I come within 2 feet of

SaviMaier: I know how it is, I just don’t want to make any trouble for you. And I wish I’d be linked with more hot women :P :/

JorgeLorenzo: I don’t really care what they say about me anyway so it doesn’t bother me. You’ll just have to try a bit harder then, won’t you? ;)

SaviMaier: I will! Introduce me to Maria Herrera please??

JorgeLorenzo: I could but I think you’d have better luck going through the Brothers Marquez

SaviMaier: Damn, I knew I picked the wrong MotoGP rider to befriend

JorgeLorenzo: To be fair, we didn’t pick each other as much as we were forced

SaviMaier: Very true. Suppose it hasn’t turned out too badly so far

JorgeLorenzo: No, I wouldn’t say it has.

*****

“I need to ask you a favour…”

Eyebrows raising, Charlie looked up from the book in her lap, looking suitably intrigued. “And what would that be?”

_Here it goes._ Plonking down on the couch next her to her, Savannah chewed on her lip. “Come to Italy with me.”

“Italy?” It sure wasn’t the most ridiculous request the diver had ever asked of her. “What’s going on in Italy? And when?”

“Well, the ‘when’ would be Saturday week. The ‘where’ would be Mugello…”

Understanding what her best friend was insinuating very quickly, Charlie didn’t know whether to be surprised or completely and wholly _unsurprised_. Probably the latter. She closed her book with a snap. Frowning at how the other woman had suddenly erupted into a fit of laughter, Savannah narrowed her eyes. “Don’t laugh, just answer the question.”

“I don’t recall it being much of a question. So he asked you to go to Mugello and now you’re freaking out?”

“I am _not_ freaking out. It’s just… a bit awkward. He says he wants me to come see a race and I believe him, it’s just…”

“Don’t worry, I get it. You need a bit of moral support to go stand in his garage.”

_EXACTLY._ “It will be fun, we can go camping and do campsite drinking and it will be warm and Italian men…”

Charlie snorted at that. “I have a boyfriend and you have… a _Jorge Lorenzo_.”

“Who’s just a friend,” Savi reminded her, “no matter how many times you try to imply otherwise.”

“You know what? If that’s what you genuinely think then more power to you,” the blond relented, moving on before her friend could protest again, “I’ll try to book those two days off work but I can’t promise anything until I know for sure that it’s okay.”

Grinning, Savi nodded, that answer more than good enough for her. “Thank you. For your trouble, I will ask Jorge if he’s got any connections in Marc’s garage.”

“Pff, if the Valentino fans are anything to go by, he’s got _plenty_ of connections in Marc’s garage…”

*****

Peter, understandably, was quite irked and confused when his girlfriend announced that she and her best friend were going to a MotoGP race for the weekend. He knew that Savi had probably acquired tickets through one of her sporting friends but decided not to push the matter too far, especially since Charlie had been on the receiving end of a number of deathly glares and threats of being uninvited after making a couple of pointed comments.

*****

SaviMaier: On our way to Italy for a weekend of relaxation! Well… depending on how pitching the tent goes! #SaviandCharliesItalianAdventure

*****

JL: Don’t know if you’re in yet but when you are, I’ve left your passes at the main entrance ticket office. In case you have any problems, I’ve attached Albert’s number

Savi: Hello :) We’re just into the campsite now so once we finish our fight with the tent we’ll head to the track. Good luck with qualifying!

JL: If the fight with the tent is lost, let me know ;) Thanks. Hopefully I’ll get a chance to say hi before then

“Savannah Maier, put your phone away and help me pitch this tent or so help me god…”

Realising that wasn’t playful Charlie but ‘I could kill anyone within ten feet’ Charlie, the brunette tucked her phone away in her pocket before hurrying over to where her best friend was awkwardly gripping the now half-erected tent to keep it from falling to pieces.

“Don’t worry, I got this…”

****

Rubbing her neck gingerly as she finally slung her bag over her shoulder, Charlie pouted as they made the short trip to the circuit.

“Remind me again why you insisted on camping.”

“You know why.” Jorge had been quite adamant that she stay with him since he apparently had plenty of space but Savannah had opted instead to take Charlie camping with her and, thankfully, he had completely understood.

The other woman gave a little roll of her eyes. “Yeah, I know. And even though I think you should definitely go there, I respect your decision not to.”

The diver wanted to remind her that there had not been a decision to be made but refrained from doing so for the sake of just letting it go.

There was a bit more mumbling and grumbling when they realised that they’d arrived at the wrong entrance and had to walk another ten minutes, but they eventually managed to make it to their destination. The absence of borderline deafening noise mixed with the guide that they had been given (both with just enough Italian to work out the directions and not much else) told them that it would be a little while before the next session. They wandered around for a little bit, trying to come to terms with what was where and taking in the quite amazing sight of all the spectators littered around the place, dressed in merchandise of different teams and riders, though everything was for the most part predominantly yellow.

Savi: We’re in! And no help from Albert needed

JL: But will the tent still be standing when you get back? That is the question ;)

Savi: You underestimate my camping skills, Lorenzo.

JL: That’s probably true. Are you about the paddock? I think I can slip away for a coffee if you want?

Savi looked to her friend, who was staring intently as she waited to be enlightened as to what was happening.

“He says he’s free for coffee for a little while if I want.”

“Tell him yes!!”

Savi: Not yet, we’re about 5 minutes away? I don’t know if that suits?

JL: That’s fine for me, can probably do about 20 minutes?

Savi: Sounds good. But only if I can bring my number 2 ;)

JL: Jaja, that’s fine! 5ish minutes in Yamaha hospitality? Text me when you’re here.

Savi: See you then!

“Are you going to meet him?”

“Yep. Well, we’re going to meet him. In Yamaha hospitality…”


	6. Behind Enemy Lines

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly thought that I updated this a lot more recently than January... apologies! I'll try get another one up soon! :/

Savi: We’re outside I think? And I hope Charlie is allowed in in head to toe Marquez gear…

They waited for a reply, feeling a little like girls hanging about in an attempt at chancing their luck at getting in somewhere they weren’t allowed.

“I’m still finding it hard to believe that you’re friends with Jorge Lorenzo.”

“Really?” Savannah lifted her sunglasses for a moment, smirk plastered on her face, “Because it really seemed like that before.” Doing a little twist to make sure he didn’t miss him, the diver’s smirk turned to a genuine smile when he stepped out of the makeshift building.

“I’m very relieved that you were joking about the Marquez stuff…” Jorge commented as he swaggered closer to them, amusement clear on his face as he looked the blond up and down as if just to make sure.

Feeling the tiniest bit awkward at seeing him in person for the first time since the Gala, she tried her best not to show it and leaned in to place a kiss on both his cheeks. “It was touch and go for a while there,” she chuckled, “Hello, how are you?”

His hand remained on her upper arm for a moment. “I’m good, how are you?”

“Great. Really happy to be here. You were so right, I can already feel the stress melting away.”

“Not something people usually say when they come to a grand prix but okay,” the rider laughed, eyes lingering on the brunette for a moment before returning to the friend by her side. Charlie was marginally taller than her partner in crime, and her big blue eyes were undeniably striking against the pallor of her skin and her hair. “You must be Charlie. I’m Jorge.”

Hilariously torn between being excited and a little bit taken over by her favouritism of 93, Charlie greeted him just as her best friend had done. “Nice to meet you. Savi’s told me a lot about you.”

Rolling her eyes, she was glad when the MotoGP rider chuckled. “I did no such thing, please ignore her.”

“Come on inside and let’s get some coffee.”

“Sounds fantastic. You,” Savannah shot her friend a pointed but playful look, “behave yourself.”

*****

They received a number of speculative and borderline amused looks, just as she had expected. The three of them sat with surprisingly good coffee in front of them, Jorge opposite the Swiss woman and German, at a small table close enough to the door. While, at first, it had been just short of uncomfortable, that feeling soon gave way to something more akin to familiarity.

“You know, I really am glad you were joking about the Marquez gear…” Jorge quipped, “Would have been a bit… conspicuous in here.”

Giving a quick glance around, Charlie could only see blue and more blue. Blushing while Savi merely chuckled and sipped at her drink, she struggled to find a balance between looking him in the eye and blatantly staring. “A happy coincidence. Though I still have better taste than my boyfriend; he prefers yellow to red.”

He scoffed. “Maybe you need to find a new boyfriend. He clearly lacks good judgment.”

“The funny thing is she actually agrees with you,” the diver laughed.

“How has the training been going?”

Savannah smiled gratefully. “Better. It’s crazy how badly your mentality can affect… well, everything. I’ll try my absolute best not to fall back into that rut again.”

“It can be poison,” he agreed, “Especially if it festers for too long. I’m just glad that you knew how important it was to address it before it became too much of a problem.”

Savi was about to answer but was distracted by another familiar face appearing just to Jorge’s left. “Look who it is…”

Although Albert grinned, they could almost hear the Yamaha rider’s groan as his manager forced him to push over a bit. “Savannah, it’s good to see you again. I was happy when Jorge told me you were coming.”

“Nice to see you again, too.” Her eyes met Jorge’s for a split second, but she was sure that it was enough for him to spot the mischief in them. “Albert, this is my girlfriend, Charlie.”

It was so worth it to see the look of complete shock on his face as he tried to control his reaction so as not to offend. “O-oh,” he choked, not too sure what to say to that and Savannah was far too nice a person to allow him to completely embarrass himself.

“Just joking with you. She’s just my friend. The closest we are to being life partners is living together.”

Jorge was cackling at that stage, even more so when his manager glared at him.

Charlie, amused but also sympathetic, extended her hand to him. “Nice to meet you. I apologise on behalf of my best friend.”

“You too. I should really be used to it by now,” the manager shot his rider a pointed look.

“I wouldn’t get too close, she’s a Marquezista.”

For a moment, the blond looked absolutely mortified but the other woman’s musical laughter and playful nudge prompted her to loosen up a bit, obviously nothing more than playful banter. “Guilty.”

Looking very interested by that fact, Albert mischievously arched an eyebrow. “Is that so? Tell me, how big of a Marquez fan are you?”

“Al, leave the poor girl alone.”

“I was just trying to determine the merit of creating a distraction that would leave a _certain person’s_ bike unattended…”

All four laughed at that and Charlie eyes momentarily drifted to her friend, beginning to see how she fitted in so easily with this lot. The room began to clear out and Jorge pressed the unlock button on his phone to find that it was, in fact, time to get the show on the road. “As much as I’m enjoying where this conversation was heading, I’m afraid it will have to be continued later.”

“How about I provide you with the VIP tour of the garage? Well, our half at least,” Albert offered.

Eyebrows raising as she downed the last of her coffee, Savi stood along with the rest of them. “And what distinguishes the VIP tour from the regular tour?”

“Having me as your guide, of course.”

Fair enough.

****

Savi and Charlie left hospitality for a bit of a wander around the paddock before joining Albert and co in the garage once the session kicked off. “I can see why you would get along with him. He’s not what I expected,” the blond admitted, chuckling as someone walked by dressed as a VR46 turtle.

“Oh? How so?”

She gave a little shrug, craning her neck to see who was driving by on a moped. _Okay, apparently it’s normal for Dani Pedrosa to just pass by_. “Not as serious as I thought. He’s got a good sense of humour and he’s surprisingly… real?”

“Real.”

“Yeah, like he doesn’t completely believe the hype about him? Like some people do…”

 _Please let us cross paths with Rossi at some point this weekend. It would make my year._ “I guess I can’t really say since I knew him as a person before I knew him as a rider. But yeah, I think ‘real’ is a good way to describe him.”

FP4 came around quickly, and soon the terrible twosome found themselves back in the middle of the action. Well, not that there would much action in the garage while practice was going on out on track. That was probably just as well, because Savi wasn’t sure she’d be able to handle the stress otherwise.

“Fuck!”

A couple of mechanics fired up Jorge’s bike, almost at the same time that the other side did so with Rossi’s, and Savannah was very thankful that she was wearing earplugs. Looking over at her friend, she chuckled when she saw that Charlie’s reaction was the same, although she was grinning borderline manically. Albert caught her eye from a little off to the left, laughing away to himself, so Savannah stuck her tongue out playfully at him.

Moving a little closer to then, his arms still folded casually across his chest, she saw his lips moving but heard only muffled sounds.

“WHAT?”

“YOU GET USED TO IT.”

Ignoring the inference behind that, Savi arched an eyebrow. “I hope not, doesn’t that mean my hearing is damaged?”

Smirking at her banter, Albert gave a little shrug, letting his eyes wander over to where Jorge was finally climbing on his bike, Valentino already gone when he finally revved the throttle and disappeared from view. “Sometimes it’s better that way.”

****

Jorge: Sorry I couldn’t catch you after quali

Savi: It’s fine :) Sorry about the result :/ What is it they say? The only day that counts is Sunday

Jorge: P5 isn’t ideal, just have to get a good start…

Jorge: And the temptation to do my team mate over in his backyard again is too great ;)

Savi: ahaha that’s the spirit!

Savi: Charlie’s having the time of her life, she’s made friends with half the campsite

Jorge: You know I can actually picture it. I can see why she likes Marc… Have you eaten yet?

Savi: I can’t pass judgment on that one but I’m sure you’re right. Yep, we grabbed something after quali. Going to toast some marshmallows later when it gets dark. (That’s something you do when you go camping, right?)

Jorge: Trust me, I am! Please tell me you’re going to try start a campfire (I think that’s an American movie cliché?) Although I’m pretty sure you’re not allowed to start fires? Just tell them that Jorge Lorenzo said you could ;)

Savi: Well, I haven’t exactly figured that out yet… might just borrow a lighter off someone and use that! Are you kidding? If I said that they would probably arrest me instead of kicking me out ;)

Jorge: Sounds like a solid plan! And yes, you’re probably right about that one

Jorge: You said that Charlie made friends with half the campsite… Does that mean she wouldn’t mind you slipping away for a little while?

Savi: I doubt she’d even notice I was gone to be honest! And she would order me to go if I told her

Jorge: Good, so would you like to meet for a proper catch up? I’m off duty for the evening.

She’d almost forgotten her friend’s presence, looming over her like a parent shamelessly reading their child’s messages, until she felt the phone whipped from her hands.

“Hey! What are you doing?”

Charlie’s mouth pulled into a smirk as she typed away. Savannah didn’t even bother trying to stop her. “Just making things easier…” Less than 30 seconds later, her phone was back in her hand, Savi trying to decide whether or not she wanted to see the damage.

Savi: That is absolutely fine by me. Where will she meet you?

Savi: (This is Charlie by the way)

Jorge: Really? I would never have guessed…

Jorge: Meet you at the gate closest to the campsite in about 15 minutes?

Savi: Sorry, she wrestled it out of my hands. Yeah, sure. But is that really a good idea? You shouldn’t be wandering like that

Jorge: I’m not wandering and I won’t be seen. Keep an eye out for me ;)

****

Charlie had offered to walk with her to the designated meeting point but she had politely declined, figuring there was no point. It turned out there wasn’t since she had barely been standing there for two minutes, looking curiously around her, when someone on a moped came to a halt in front of her. Savi smiled to herself when she spotted the plain black bike and even plainer helmet. _So that’s how he was sure he wouldn’t be seen…_

Jorge flipped up the visor, most likely wanting to prove to her that he was who she presumed him to be, grin plastered on his face. “Told you, now hop on.”

Studying the bike carefully, Savannah frowned. “Can that really take two people? And don’t I need a helmet too?”

“Yes, it can. I’ve ridden with people much larger than you. And no, don’t worry. I’m only wearing this because I don’t want to create a panic; I promise I won’t crash. This doesn’t go fast enough to do any damage anyway. We’re not exactly on the road…”

 _Ugh, fine. I’m ignoring all my sensibilities._ “If my father saw me getting on the back of a motorbike with someone who regularly drives them at 300 kilometres an hour…” she teased, taking a step closer and assessing how she was going to do this without making an idiot of herself before saying fuck it and throwing one leg over.

Jorge, who was keeping the bike balanced with his two feet on the ground, took her arms and placed them around his front. “We’re not going to crash but I don’t trust you to stay on,” not waiting for her to make a comment, he flipped down his visor once again before setting off a bit faster than was strictly necessary.

“Excuse you, my balance is just as good- if not better- than yours.”

“Just hold on tight, Maier.”


	7. Agreement

“Are you suitably impressed?” Jorge teased, double checking that that kickstand was down properly once they had both disembarked. Her back was to him, taking in their surroundings, before she turned and arched an eyebrow.

“By what? _This,_ ” Savi gestured widely at the vast open space, “ or your riding skills.”

“Both.”

“So impressed,” she rolled her eyes, “I’m glad I wore sensible shoes…”

“Don’t worry, we’re not going to walk the whole track. I just wasn’t sure where we could go and have some privacy.”

Slowing for a moment so that he could fall into step with her, the diver gave him a brief once over, mischievous glint in her eye. “We need privacy, do we?”

 _You know what I mean._ “Not particularly. I just didn’t want people watching us wherever we go.”

“I get it, don’t worry. Just teasing. So, all ready for tomorrow?”

The beginning of their walk along the tarmac lacked any real pace, the both of them happily to just wander along. “As much as I can be. I’m not… overly concerned. Well, as long as it stays dry anyway, which appears to be very likely…”

“I have every faith in you,” she smiled, “It will be even better, won’t it? Winning if it’s not entirely expected.”

Jorge let out a whoosh of air, knowing from 5th he would have to get a _very_ good start to win the race this time. “Remember when I said after Le Mans that I would celebrate during the summer break?”

“Hmm.”

“If I win tomorrow, we’re celebrating.”

Laughing at how completely serious he was, Savi toed at some marbling at the edge of the track, “Sounds good to me.”

They chatter about everything and nothing, strolling casually along the track until they both began to tire and decided to park themselves on one of the kerbs. The sun was just beginning to set and Savannah had to laugh at the fact that, in other situations, it would be quite romantic.

“So…”

“So?”

He opened his mouth to say something before swiftly closing it again. Savannah arched an eyebrow in amusement, not used to him being lost for words. “So, Albert’s happy you’re here.”

“Yeah,” she nodded, chuckling softly, “I noticed.”

“If I make the podium tomorrow… will you come to parc ferme?”

Genuinely taken aback by that, her brown eyes widened, not sure what angle he was taking with this. “Sure, but won’t people think…?”

Chuckling at that, Jorge raised his eyebrows. “What? Anything more than they think when you’re in my garage?”

 _You have a point_. “Yes, but this will… seal the deal.” He nodded briefly and Savannah felt her breath catch, her stomach dropping ever so slightly. “Right.”

The MotoGP rider turned so that they were face to face. “Okay, so I need you to be honest with me.”

“O-kay.”

“Don’t worry,” he smiled knowingly, “nothing bad. Lidia thinks you should… _represent_ that we’re seeing each other.”

“Uh, yeah. I guess so.”

“So I guess I just want to know how you stand on that. We’re friends- we get along well. It might be… _mutually beneficial_ , take some pressure off us.”

Sure, there had been some kind of indication that there was a point to this on both ends but putting it so frankly was another thing. “You think we should pretend to date each other. You really think that’s a good idea?” she asked, and surprisingly it wasn’t a loaded question.

Jorge shrugged, suddenly looking less sure of himself. “People are going to talk anyway. Correct me if I’m wrong, but you seem like you don’t want to be in a relationship right now.”

“Well… yeah. With Rio coming up I don’t really have the time.”

“So, if you think about it, it kinda makes sense? People will stop trying to set you up. You’ll, for all intents and purposes, have a boyfriend without having to invest lots of times in a relationship. You can prepare for Rio in peace, I can fight to retain my championship.”

She had to admit that, while a platonic boyfriend didn’t exactly sound like the worst thing she had ever heard, she still wasn’t sure this was a good idea. “Don’t you think it will only make people more interested in us? I mean, that obviously mostly applies to me. And isn’t it a bit dishonest? We would be lying to people.”

“It will probably raise your profile a bit, yes, but not enough for it to be much of a problem I expect. In Spain, maybe there will be some interest. But in Switzerland? Probably nothing. And as for lying, people in our position lie about things like this all the time. And we never actually have to say that we’re boyfriend and girlfriend.”

Chewing pensively on her lip, Savi shook her head to herself, unable to believe that she was actually considering this. “If we’re going to do this you have to promise me something?” Jorge just nodded, looking pleasantly surprised. “If you’re… just if you’re going to be with anyone then please don’t get caught. Or at least break it off with me. I don’t want to be pitied for being a jilted woman.”

“I have no intention of being with anyone right now, that’s why I’m suggesting this. With Nuria… we’ve been friends for years and I still couldn’t make it work with her. So, no, I’m not looking for a relationship now.” At the brunette’s arched eyebrow, he continued. “As for sex, I just… not right now. And in the unlikely event that something were to happen, I promise to be considerate of you.”

 _I can’t believe I’m doing this. Who would have guessed what that one party would lead to…_ Letting out a breath she hadn’t even known she had been holding, a timid smile tugged at the corners of Savannah’s mouth and she nodded. “Okay. Yeah, why not?”

_Why not indeed._

****

Savi slowly returned to the campsite, mulling over everything that had transpired in her head. She would be lying if she said that she hadn’t previously thought that her visiting Mugello had been answering a question of sorts, but laying all their cards on the table and deciding what they wanted to do was another thing entirely. And for some bizarre reason, she had agreed- agreed to effectively fake date Jorge Lorenzo. Maybe she needed her head examined. Surprisingly, the German woman didn’t immediately feel as if she had made a mistake. It just felt a bit… weird.

Flashing her wristband at the stewards standing at the gate between the campsite and the track, she greeted them with a ‘good evening’ before making in the direction of their tent, following the landmarks that she and Charlie had decided were notable enough for them to be able to find every time. Before she knew it, Savi could heard that familiar sound of her best friend’s laughter mixed with others.

“Savi,” the blonde grinned up at her from where she was sitting on a fold-up chair, “You’re back.”

“Indeed I am,” the diver laughed, sitting down next to her and greeting the girl and guy opposite her once again.

“Everything okay?” _Code: we’re going to discuss this at length later._

 _Yes, later._ “Fine.”

****

She ended up spilling her guts to Charlie that night when they lay in the dark of the tent, who had been unsurprisingly disappointed when she heard of the agreement she and Jorge had reached. After all the squealing had died down and the blonde had finished pouting, Charlie shook her head. “Honestly, Savi; only you would end up in a fake relationship with someone. I can’t decide who’s worse: you or him.”

“It’s got its advantages-“

“How?! How does it have its advantages? You have a boyfriend without having any of the perks of _having a boyfriend_. No kissing, no sex, no presents, no dates…. Why even bother? Unless sex and kisses are included in the package, in which case it does sound a lot more appealing.”

Savi shrugged. “Sex isn’t part of the deal. I’m sure people do this all the time. Jorge and I are friends, we can’t help what assumptions people make.”

 _What_. “Those who do this all the time are usually doing it for publicity, which is strange because that’s not something either of you seems to want.”

Unable to deny the truth of that, Savannah pursed her lips, feeling the bed move up and down as she adjusted her position slightly. “I don’t know. I just really didn’t see any reason to say no. No good enough reason anyway.”

Charlie continued to eye her sceptically, even though they could barely see each other, afraid that the mile-wide independent streak that Savannah always had was proving useful in hiding her real thoughts. “It’s exciting, isn’t it? Being close to someone who lives life at 300 km/h.”

“Jorge and I are not close.”

_Not from what I can see. Or at least you certainly will be._

****

“Good morning, capitán.”

Marc’s greeting prompted Jorge to arch an eyebrow, pausing a couple of feet away from where his trainer and his manager were already seated and having breakfast in hospitality. “Morning?”

“Go get yourself something to eat and come join us.”

“I thought captains are usually the ones who do the ordering around,” the rider muttered to himself but did as he was told nevertheless. He greeted and was greeted by a number of colleagues as he grabbed some coffee and cereal before returning to the table, a little wary of what was in store for him.

“Word on the street is that you went for a romantic stroll with your woman last night.”

Jorge grimaced, swallowing his sip of coffee. “Don’t call her that. Her name’s Savannah.”

Looking far too pleased with himself, Marc laughed and clapped the rider on the shoulder, earning himself a very dirty look. “Oh I know. Good for you, hombre. Getting back on the wagon. I feel a little bit responsible.”

“How?” he frowned, gesturing at Albert, “pretty sure he was the one who started all this.”

“Yes, but if I hadn’t stolen your phone and liked those photos would you have spoken to her? I think not.”

“Think what you like. If I’m on the podium today I want one of you to take her and Charlie to parc ferme with you.”

“I would be more than happy to bring her.”

“Albert, that was mainly directed at you…”

****

Spending the race in the garage now felt somewhere between natural and completely out of her comfort zone for Savi. While the previous day it was what it was, the circumstances had since changed drastically and she almost felt as if there were a neon sign above her head. The race… well, the race was exhilarating and the most nerve-wracking experience she’d ever had in equal measure. She tried her best to look outwardly calm, something she should have perfected by now, but it still proved difficult.

Once again, Albert laughed at hers and Charlie’s reactions, but also appeared to be studying Savannah curiously every so often, probably aware that something had changed. How much he knew, she did not know and did not address the matter in any certain terms. 

The garage had been pretty much resigned to the fact that Jorge would have to settle for second and preparations were being made for parc ferme when several roars of excitement sounded. Jorge, against all odds, had managed to beat the Honda of Marquez to the line and clinch the win by mere thousandths of a second.

Charlie let out a (very subtle) low whine and Savannah’s jaw dropped as her brain caught up with what was happening. Albert, completely overjoyed, embraced her tightly, lifting her a foot off the ground.

“That’s it. I don’t care if I have to kidnap you, you’re coming to every race for the rest of the season,” he joked and she wasn’t entirely sure but she may have detected a hint of seriousness in his tone.

“I had nothing to do with that,” she laughed, still unable to believe it. Savi embraced Charlie, followed by Marc and barely had time to think before she was being ushered towards parc ferme.

It seemed to take forever for him to turn up, but when he did the place erupted like nothing she’d ever seen. Jorge did a run and jump at his team, and appeared to be as surprised as his crew were. Savannah was happy to lie low, grinning like an idiot, and stood a bit back until things began to die down a little bit and she caught her ‘boyfriend’s’ eye. He waved her over and she obliged, dragging her best friend along after her.

Surprisingly (even though it probably shouldn’t have been), the moment she was close enough he pulled her roughly into his arms, as close as the barrier would permit. “Congratulations,” the diver beamed, “but you almost gave me a heart attack on that last lap.”

He merely laughed at that, and she had to try not to appear too shocked when he pressed a kiss against her hair. “I’m sorry.”

Savannah hadn’t taken notice of any of the other riders until Marc Marquez appeared with a devilish smirk on his face, clapping the Mallorcan firmly on the back as he spoke to him in rapid Catalan. With a roll of his eyes, Jorge adjusted his position. “This is Savannah.”

“Nice to meet you,” the other Spaniard beamed, although there was something very mischievous about it and, yeah, she could see why Charlie found him so attractive.

“Nice to meet you, too.”

“You might want to take this one with your lot,” Jorge winked at Charlie, prompting the Swiss woman to turn a rather fetching shade of pink, “we don’t want Marquezitis to spread into our garage.”

“You’re hilarious,” Charlie chastised him, albeit playfully, before looking in Marc’s direction once again, “You were robbed.”

He laughed his famous Marquez laugh. “Thank you. I’m Marc.”

“Charlie, a 93 fan undercover in Yamaha.”

“Maybe you’ll be able to tell me then how this guy got such great drive to the finish line.” Someone tapped the Repsol rider on the back and he apologised as he was led away for his post-race interview.

Savannah, way beyond amused by the whole thing, put her arm around her best friend. “Please wait until we are out of view of the cameras to faint…”

That earned her a firm nudge. “Be quiet you.”


	8. Running on Air

“It’s lucky that I actually packed for the eventuality of something like this happening,” Charlie commented, as if Savannah was lucky, without drawing her eyes away from the make shift row of campsite mirrors.

“Pff, you packed for all paddock eventualities if that massive suitcase taking up the whole boot is anything to go by.”

“In all seriousness,” the blonde double checked for lipstick on her teeth before turning to face her best friend, “Thank you so much for asking me to come with you this weekend. I don’t remember the last time I had this much fun.”

Savannah gave a little eye-roll but grinned nevertheless. “I should be thanking you for coming with me. It was pretty short notice and it’s all… pretty crazy but I appreciate your support. As always.”

Bumping her shoulder against the smaller woman’s, Charlie laughed. “Yeah, it is crazy. But in a good way, I think? Anyway, we better get going… your _boyfriend_ will be wondering where you are.”

“I’m going to have to get used to those jokes, aren’t I?”

“Absolutely.”

****

Peter <3: What a race! Did you have a good time?

Charls: I know! That ending :/ Yes, it’s been amazing. Did you spot us on tv?

Peter <3: I can imagine it was a bit awkward ;) I did a couple of times in the garage and… since when is Savi dating Jorge Lorenzo? I take it it’s a recent development…

Charls: Especially when I had to hide my disappointment ;) Nah, they know where my allegiances lie (so does Marc :O) and they mainly just joked about it.

Charls: Uh… it’s complicated and it is very recent. They’ve been chatting since that party but there was no… developments until yesterday

Peter <3: Yeah I saw you chatting to him in parc ferme and I’m very happy for you as long as he keeps his hands to himself! Well he seems to be very fond of her from what I could tell

Charls: Don’t worry, I’m not going to run away with Marc Marquez ;) I think they’re both very fond of each other but… like I said, it’s complicated

Charls: We’re actually going to a celebration-dinner thing with the Lorenzo crew, call you later?

Peter <3: That’s always good to hear! I’ll take your word for it… And yes, have a good time and I’ll catch you later

Charls: Love you <3

Peter <3: Love you too <3

*****

Hesitating for the briefest moment outside hospitality, it different this time despite very little changing, Savi took a deep breath, relieved to find that Charlie was waiting patiently rather than judging. She gave a little nod. “Okay, let’s do this.”

Charlie took initiative and pushed the door open and they soon found that it was busy enough inside that the action hardly drew any attention. Jorge and co weren’t difficult to spot; a long table had been set up by the wall on the left-hand side, where everyone else was already congregated. The man himself caught her eye and his smile widened as he waved them over.

“I was wondering if I should come and get you…”

Leaning in to place a kiss on his cheek as his arm wrapped around her, Savi made an ‘eek’ face. “Sorry! Took a little longer than I expected.”

“Don’t worry, I’m just joking.” He pulled out the chair that had been left vacant next to him, beside which there was another. “You’ve already met everyone?”

Giving a little wave to everyone, Savi prayed that her cheeks were a somewhat normal colour. “Pretty sure I have?”

“Right,” Albert clapped his hands together, “I’ll go get Xavi so we can get this show on the road.”

****

@jorgelorenzo99: Celebrations after a very special race. Very thankful to have such a great team _pic.jpg_

@albertvalera: What a race! Same celebration with @jorgelorenzo99 and the team _pic.jpg_

@SaviMaier: Amazing but stressful day! Now celebrating just a little bit with @jorgelorenzo99, @CharlieV and @albertvalera _pic.jpg_

@CharlieV: Bit of a strange day… Have to congratulate @Jorgelorenzo99 on an annoyingly good win. Next time, @marcmarquez93! #champ

@JorgeLorenzo99: Muchisimas gracias por tu apoyo @SaviMaier // Thank you for your support Savannah _pic.jpg_

Getting the notification that Jorge had posted the picture of the two of them to her phone Savi chewed on her lip and shifted it her chair, liking it nevertheless.

@SaviMaier: @JorgeLorenzo Thank you for your support too <3

“Agh, why do I get the feeling that everything is going to go ‘bang’?” She took another sip of the glass of white in front of her, knowing she should probably stop if the airy feeling in her head was anything to go by but not really caring so much this time.

Before Jorge could say anything, Marc beat him to it, arching an eyebrow mischievously. “What you two get up to after this is your own business.”

Savi, absolutely mortified and unable to believe she hadn’t anticipated that, merely blushed while her ‘boyfriend’ barked at his trainer in Catalan. “Ignore him. Everything’s going to be fine, it’s not that big of a deal.”

“Romantic as ever, Lorenzo!”

“Fuck off. You know what I meant.”

Scanning the now emptier hospitality suite, her brows knitted together. “Has anyone seen Charlie recently?”

“She finally got tired of us and wandered off to Honda,” Jorge teased, earning him a little slap.

“She stepped outside to make a phone call, I’m pretty sure,” Albert offered, though Savi wasn’t sure just how much she would trust that information, given how much Jorge’s manager had been enjoying himself…

“Maybe I should check on her? It’s pretty late.”

“It’s perfectly safe here if that’s what you’re worried about but if you want to check on her then I’ll come with you.”

Sure he was right about that but wanting to make sure anyway, Savi nodded. She stumbled ever so slightly as she stood, prompting the MotoGP rider to put a hand on her hip to steady her. It remained there as they meandered through the tables, both letting out a sigh of relief when they got outside and found that it was significantly cooler than it was inside.

“Sorry about them…”

“It’s not a problem. It kinda comes with the whole… thing.”

He nodded to himself, hesitating for a moment. “Any regrets.”

“No. Not as of yet anyway.”

“Good. Just… if you change your mind-“

Stopping, Savi turned to face him and smiled. “I know. I’ve really got no complaints at the moment.”

“Good, because-“

“¡Mira! ¿Qué bonito, eh?”

For the second time that day, they found themselves interrupted by Marc Marquez, who was swaggering in their general direction with two other guys by his side. Savi only recognised one of them.

“Hello,” putting on her best smile, she tried to look confident rather than embarrassed.

“Congrats on the win,” the one she didn’t recognise gave Jorge a brief hug, appearing quite familiar with the Yamaha rider.

“Thanks. Just had to go for it,” he winked at Marc, “Savi, this is Hector. He used to be team Lorenzo before he was seduced by the dark side.”

That earned him a nudge from Hector before he greeted the petite brunette with a kiss on the cheek. “Nice to meet you.”

“You too. Wait, we might need to call in the King of Spain for the next introduction…” Marc cackled at that, both Jorge and the other man clad in Repsol gear replying with a firm “fuck off”.

“Dani, this is Savi. Savi, this is Repsol Honda Part II.”

“Hey, I was here first! I’m Part I!” Dani argued, greeting the German with a smile, “Nice to meet you.”

“Where’s the one with the good taste?”

“We’re just looking for her. I take it she hasn’t gotten ‘lost’ and found herself at Honda then?”

“Unfortunately not. Is she single?”

“NO,” Savi replied, a little too quickly and forcefully, prompting the others to laugh.

“Okay,” Marc exchanged a sly look with both Dani and Hector, “I’ll be sure to steer clear then. I’m sure she’s around her somewhere.”

They said their goodbyes and soon were on their way again. Savi, shaking her head at the force that was Marc Marquez, allowed herself to be led by the race winner around the back of hospitality, laughing at how that might look to any bystanders. They soon found what they were looking for; Charlie was perched on the edge of a railing, radiant smile on her face and her phone pressed up against her ear as she chatted away in German.

“Wow… looks like Marc really is off the hook then.”

The diver cast him a smile that said ‘I know, right?’ before placing her hand on his arm. “Suppose we better head inside so.”

****

“So… it’s late and you two are less than sober- I really don’t think it’s a good idea for you to go back to your tent.”

“To be honest,” Albert added, “I’m pretty sure that the entrance is shut by now.”

He was probably right; it was a little after 12:30 and they’d been in hospitality drinking (although Savi had been relatively good, it was still her weekend off) since 8. “Well that’s not good.”

“No, it’s fine. You can both come back to mine,” Jorge offered, not only because Savannah was supposedly his girlfriend.

Both women gave him their thanks and Savi made sure that she had a firm grip on Charlie, who- like the rest of them- wasn’t completely plastered but was by no means sober, as they made their way towards the motorhomes. It wasn’t that long of a trek and, before they knew it, they had arrived, having lost everyone else at different stages along the way. All three, led by Jorge, made their way inside, the MotoGP rider switching on the lights and prompting the diver to arch an eyebrow at him.

“The word ‘motorhome’ is downplaying it a bit, don’t you think?”

“Well, technically it _is_ a motorhome. Granted it’s a bit nicer than your run of the mill motorhomes…”

“A bit?” Charlie laughed, eyeing up the leather couches and what seemed like a 50 inch flat screen television. “Sure…”

“You’re going to love this…” Jorge winked and pressed a button, making what had appeared to be a wall before lower down into a reasonably sized double bed.

There was something about how proud he was that prompted Savannah to burst out laughing. “Wow. I need to get myself one of these.”

“Impressed?”

“Absolutely.”

“So my romantic gestures didn’t impress you but my motorhome did?”

“I’m not sure I would class walking around your work place as romantic…”

Giving her a wry smile, he started pulling pillows out of a cupboard and tossing them to her. “I’ll grab you both some t-shirts and pants to wear.” Jorge did just that, retuning a minute later with a pile of folded clothes. “Savi, I brought you a pair of tracksuit bottoms as well but I don’t know if they would be more annoying than anything since they’ll probably be way too long for you.”

“It’s fine,” she laughed, already aware that she was a good couple of inches smaller than him, “I’ve paraded around in a lot less than a t-shirt.”

“That would be mildly worrying if I didn’t know what you did for a living.”

She and Charlie gave their thanks after he told them to help themselves to anything they wanted, the former giving him a goodnight kiss on the cheek before he disappeared into the main bedroom. The blonde grabbed them both a glass of water while Savi slipped out of her jeans and top and pulled on the black shirt she’d been given. Her assumptions were correct, it was long enough to cover anything that would potentially need covering anyway. Emblazoned on the chest was Jorge’s 99 symbol, and she wondered momentarily if he had purposely given her that one or had especially chosen a plain one for Charlie so as not to insult her Marquez sensibilities.

“Wow, that’s really hot.”

Knowing what her friend was getting at, Savi stuck out her tongue. “It’s just a shirt.”

“Yes, it is just a shirt. _His_ shirt. It’s like a footballer’s girlfriend wearing his jersey.”

“Be quiet and go to sleep.” She didn’t really want to get into that one, pulling back the covers of the very comfy looking bed so that she could climb into it as Charlie finished changing and turned out the lights. The bed dipped as the other woman climbed in beside her.

“I really like him, you know,” Charlie said through a yawn as she shuffled to get comfortable.

“Hmm, me too.”


	9. News

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Please be warned that the chapter ending deals with sad events...

“Morning,” Savi smiled, just placing a cafetiere down on the table when he emerged from his room looking completely put together, far more than she felt in last night’s clothes anyway.

Taking a brief look around, Jorge arched an eyebrow in amusement. “Morning. And I thought I was an early riser…”

She stuck out her tongue at that, grabbing a few cups from the cupboard as if she’d been there a thousand times before. “It’s a Monday morning and I forgot to switch off my alarm… Charlie wasn’t too pleased with me.”

“I can imagine. Speaking of which, where is she?”

“She’s gone to retrieve breakfast,” surprised that the conversation wasn’t at all awkward as she filled two cups of coffee and pushed one in his direction, “Albert dropped by like ten minutes ago and they went together. I stayed so you wouldn’t wake and think you’d imagined last night.”

“I’m pretty sure I wasn’t _that_ drunk,” he chuckled, giving her his thanks as they both sat down at the table, “What time is your flight?”

“Three o’clock. We’re going to hit the road at around twelve.”

“We’ve got a bus going to Florence if you two want to tag along with us? Save you making your own way there.”

 _Not having to take any responsibility for getting there sounds so good right now._ “I would love to but we have a hire car. Thanks for the offer though.”

Taking a slow sip of the coffee to test the temperature, Jorge’s eyebrows raised. “Okay, how is it you manage to make my coffee better than I do?”

“It’s all about getting the right ratio of beans to water.”

“Ah, so you really are German.”

“Fuck off,” Savi gave him a little nudge with her foot under the table, laughing nevertheless.

“Back to the grind tomorrow?”

“I really hope that pun wasn’t intended and yes. Well, yes and no- I’ve got some basic training in the morning but I’m off to Berlin in the evening. Team Germany are having a training camp for a couple of days.”

“Wow, exciting. It’s getting close now…”

“Ugh, don’t remind me! I simultaneously cannot wait and am dreading it. But I’m looking forward to the next couple of days. The diving team is quite small so there’s a nice atmosphere. It’s nice to be around people who know exactly what you’re going through too.”

“You can all suffer together then.”

“Exactly!”

“I guess it’s nice to do some work as a group. Your sport is like mine in the sense that it’s every man for himself.”

Savi smirked over the top of her cup. “What are you talking about? You’ve got a team mate…”

The MotoGP rider rolled his eyes at that because of course she’d go there. “And we make such a good combination.”

“Match made in heaven.”

“Match made in _hell_.”

Albert and Charlie walked through the door a matter of minutes later, armed with nutritious and sort of tasty breakfast offerings. All the croissants were snatched up by those two immediately for Savi and Jorge’s “own good”. That was all well and good until the diver attacked her best friend for a bit of strawberry jam covered pastry.

“Savi loves food…” Charlie explained to the two wide-eyed Spaniards through her laughter, smearing some jam over the German woman’s cheek.

“Yeah, I really do…”

****

“Ugh.”

Glancing over at where the other woman was sat on the uncomfortable airport chair, head slumped forward and resting on her knees, Savi chuckled. “I know right.”

“How do people do this every second week? I didn’t realise how tired I was until now. And that was _after_ we slept in the most comfortable motorhome ever.”

“Well, to be fair we did camp for most of the weekend.”

“We only arrived Saturday!”

“True, but we hardly got any sleep Saturday night because it was insane. I wish I had just decided to change my flight to go straight to Germany instead of flying back home to get another flight tomorrow.”

“Yeah, that really wasn’t the greatest idea you’ve ever had. But at least you can climb into bed when we get home and get a good night’s sleep.”

“Hmm.” Clicking into Instagram on her phone, Savi wasn’t at all surprised to find that her number of followers had increased significantly overnight, as well as the amount of comments she’d been mentioned in. Against her better judgment, she followed one of the tags and clicked into a link to an article of some kind.

**LORENZO’S NEW WOMAN?**

_It would appear that reigning MotoGP World Champion Jorge Lorenzo has a new girlfriend only weeks after his split from Spanish actress, Nuria Tomas. Savannah Maier, a 22 year old Olympic diver who will be competing in the upcoming Rio Olympics for Germany, watched from the Yamaha box as her man qualified fifth on the grid ahead of the Sunday’s Italian Grand, which saw the 3 times world champion claim his second race win in a row in a stunning finish._

_Savannah (pictured below), celebrated Jorge’s win with him immediately after the race and again later on that night at a celebratory team dinner. While neither party has confirmed the relationship yet, Jorge posted a picture of the two of them together on Instagram last night with the caption “Thank you for your support Savannah”._

_This development follows the apparent ending of approximately year long relationship with Tomas, although the split remains unconfirmed. Many are speculating that this new relationship has contributed to the improvement in Jorge’s form, with the Yamaha rider winning both races since the two were first linked together. It remains to be seen if he will return the favour and support his new flame in Rio, should she qualify for the finals._

“That was quick…” Savi muttered, having her private life discussed a novel experience for her. She wasn’t sure what she expected, they’d pretty obviously put themselves out there so of course people were going to talk. It just felt… weird.

“Let me see!”

She handed the phone over to Charlie, watching curiously as her friend scanned through the article.

“They used a very nice photo of you. And it’s kinda hilarious that they think you’re the reason behind Jorge’s wins. It’s not like he’s a five-time world champion or anything…”

“I don’t know if people actually think that or if they’re just trying to make it seem more important than it is. He’s won _a lot_ of races over the years, it’s not like this is out of character or anything.”

“Let them believe what they want. Oh wait-“ Charlie smirked, “You’re already doing that, aren’t you?”

Savi couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Rude!”

“ _True_ more like. You made yours and Jorge’s bed, now you have to metaphorically and literally _not_ lie in it.”

“You’re hilarious, you know that?”

The other woman gave a little shrug, looking entirely too pleased with herself. “You know my feelings on the matter, the rest is up to you.” Before Savi could refute that, her best friend stood and grabbed her bag, announcing that the gate was up.

_Friends… why have them?_

 

****

“Hey.” Getting up from the table, Savannah quickly excused herself to take a call from her best friend. At first she’d not wanted to be rude but after Charlie’s third attempt at calling she realised that it was probably important.

“Hey… I’m interrupting something, aren’t I?”

 _Why do you sound like that?_ Savi shook her head to herself, her stomach suddenly feeling very uneasy. “It’s fine, just dinner. What’s up?”

“Have you been speaking to Jorge?”

That question alone made her feel an awful lot better. If she could have been talking to him he was okay, right? “No, I haven’t. What have they written about us now?”

“It’s not about that. It’s… well, I know you two aren’t actually together but I thought you should just have a heads-up in case he contacts you.”

“Charlie,” she frowned, worry beginning to claw its way back in, “what’s going on?”

“One of the Moto2 boys had an awful crash earlier today and… well, he’s gone.”

“He’s…” Unable to wrap her head around those words, Savi squeezed her eyes shut. Not Jorge but someone else. Someone younger. “Who?”

“Luis Salom; he’s from Jorge’s hometown. It’s just been announced around half an hour ago.”

“Fuck.” Her appetite was suddenly gone, feeling absolutely sick to her stomach at the fact that the sport that she’d been enjoying in person less than a week ago had claimed someone’s life. “I haven’t heard from Jorge, which isn’t surprising. He’s probably trying to digest the news.”

“I just thought I’d let you know in case you hadn’t heard.”

“Yeah, thanks for that. I’m… I’m going to get back to dinner now but I’ll talk to you later on.”

“Okay. Take care.”

Savi remained where she was for a moment, phone pressed against her lips as she tried to process all of that. All she could think was that it was an absolute tragedy, for someone so young to lose his life like that. Thoughts of how Jorge’s passion from such a young age must have affected his mother, how she must have worried all his life, consumed her. How any of their families could tolerate that baffled her.

Shaking her head to herself, she sighed and drew a deep breath before returning to the restaurant.  It was obviously written on her face that something was very wrong and all those seated at the table immediately looked in her direction.

“Is everything okay?”

“Sorry about that, just had a bit of bad news,” Savi said quietly, taking her seat once again. They seemed to sense that it was not something she wanted to talk about and reluctantly moved on, leaving her sitting there quietly for the rest of the meal.

****

Savi: I’ve heard the news and I’m so so sorry. No pressure to reply, just know I’m here if you need anything x

Tossing her phone down, Savannah lay back on the bed, not expecting a reply to that. She was surprised when, not ten minutes later, it buzzed.

Jorge: Thank you. I’m still in shock, can’t believe he’s gone. He was such a character. One of the nicest people you would ever meet

Savi: From what I’ve seen from the reactions, I would definitely believe that. What is going to happen now?

Jorge: You would have loved him if you’d met him. The race will ago ahead, Luis’ family wanted it too. But no one is really motivated at the moment

Savi: I think I would. I can imagine. It’s been an awful shock to all of you

Jorge: I lost the tip of my finger in 2011, missed the race in Malaysia. That was the race where Marco died. I’m not sure whether it’s better to be at home or in the paddock and deal with this

Jorge: I think it’s worse. Here you have to see everyone else’s grief

Jorge: I’m sorry, I know you’re at you’re training camp. I’m don’t want to dampen the mood

Savi: That makes sense to me. The reminders are always there. Please, don’t worry about that. And to be honest the mood was dampened when Charlie told me the news. I just want to help in any way I can

There was a lull in messages for a minute or two before her phone buzzed once again.

Jorge: I know it’s a lot to ask but… would you come to the funeral with me? If you have other plans it’s fine, it’s just… home

The request caught her off guard. She felt both honoured that he valued her friendship enough to ask her and slightly wary of the responsibility. But there could only be one answer…

Savi: No, it’s not a lot. Of course I’ll go with you. Just let me know when it is

Jorge: I’m so glad that we were introduced. You’re such a good friend

Savi: So are you x


	10. Homecoming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is for JustLyra because she's had to ask me enough :P

“Savi… care to explain?”

Blinking twice as she realised she’d never answered the question asked of her by her manager. Savanah put down the top she’d been just about to put in her suitcase, sitting down on the bed. “It’s one day early so it really doesn’t matter that much. And, besides, I’ve been given the okay so everything’s fine, they understand.”

“But-“

“But nothing. I don’t want to leave, but it’s not like I’m doing it for leisure. I’m going to a _funeral_.”

There was the briefest moment of silence on the other end of the line, which was quite unusual. “I’m very sorry. Someone you were close to?”

 _You either haven’t heard or haven’t made the connection._ Savi tilted her head in confusion, having figured that Lidia surely would have heard about the accident and that, if she had, it would be a natural progression. “No, a colleague of Jorge’s.”

“A colleague of Jorge’s? As in another rider?”

She found herself genuinely gobsmacked that the other woman hadn’t heard. “Yeah, in the intermediate class. He was killed on Friday. It was- it _is_ just so completely tragic. I can’t imagine…” No, not going there. “Anyway, Jorge asked me to go with him. He and Luis were from the same city.”

“I’m so sorry to hear that. What an awful shame.”

“It is. It’s just… horrific. So when he asked-“

“No, of course. Absolutely the right decision. Make sure you take care of him.”

 _I’ll try. Not sure how much good I’ll be as his_ fake _girlfriend though._ “I will.”

*

Savi: Just landed, will you forward the hotel details?

Jorge: No need. I’m waiting in a car outside arrivals so just text me when you get your luggage and I’ll meet you inside

Savi: There’s no need. I can’t meet you outside so you won’t be recognised

Jorge: I’ll be fine. This is my home, I’m used to it x

Savi: Okay, thank you. See you soon x

 

Stepping out into the arrivals hall, her case in town, Savi only had to scan the room for a minute to spot him where he was standing close to the barrier, wearing grey jeans and a purple t-shirt that suited him a lot better than Yamaha blue did. What she was relieved to find, however, was that he looked okay; an undeniable air of sadness to him but still very much recognisable to her. They exchanged smiles as she approached him, just setting her suitcase down before he wrapped her up in a hug.

“Hi.”

“Hi.”

“Jorge, I’m so-“

Releasing her once again, though his hand remained on her arm, the Mallorcan shook his head. “It’s okay, I know. I’m glad to see you again.”

“Me too. Although I wish it were under better circumstances.”

“So do I,” he agreed, pausing for a moment but not wanting to think about it for too long. Reaching around, Jorge grabbed the handle of her bag. “Come on then, let’s get going.”

Looking between him and her suitcase, Savannah rolled her eyes. “You do know I’m capable of wheeling my own suitcase, right?”

“Humour me.”

There was something about the admittedly rather innocuous act that made her feel the slightest bit uncomfortable, almost as if he was reading off script and she couldn’t follow. Nevertheless, Savi bit her tongue, knowing she wasn’t going to win this one and did a little shuffle to catch up the distance between them. Not completely understanding why or where it came from, the German woman bit her lip before deciding to just go for it and reached out for his hand. Without giving any indication that it was in any way strange, his hand closed around hers, fingers threading together.

They earned a couple of glances from passers-by as they made their way outside but, surprisingly, nothing more than that. Looking up and down the set-down area, it didn’t take long for Savannah to spot which one belonged to Jorge, corners of her mouth turning upwards in a wry smile. “Gee, I wonder which one is yours…”

Rolling his eyes at her, the MotoGP rider gave her a little nudge as he zapped the car. “It’s a rental, so no smoking unfortunately.”

“Damn. Don’t know if I’ll be able to make it to the hotel without lighting up,” she chuckled, hovering awkwardly by the boot as he lifted her case into it, marvelling at how it miraculously fit, “Sorry, it’s really heavy.”

He snorted. “Do you know what are heavier? MotoGP bikes. A 15kg bag is not heavy.”

 _Well then_. Sticking out her tongue, Savi made her way around to the passenger side, making sure that the coast was clear of oncoming vehicles before climbing in. “So this is home for you?”

“Yeah,” he nodded, looking over at her for a second with a fond smile on his face as he switched on the engine, “this is home.”

*

Seeing as he had already checked in, they headed straight for the lift, Jorge still insisting on pulling her case despite her protestations, telling her that the press would have a field day if he didn’t. She didn’t quite believe him.

Once inside the lift, the MotoGP rider pressed the button for the top floor and Savannah raised an eyebrow at him but said nothing, falling into comfortable silence as they ascended. The hotel was absolutely beautiful, but surprisingly in a very well designed and not ostentatiously expensive way, obviously somewhere he was used to staying rather than going by its reputation alone. It seemed to take forever but they finally reached their floor, the diver stepping out ahead of him but lingering as she had absolutely no idea what direction she was meant to be heading in.

“It’s not fair,” he assured her with another smile and it wasn’t a lie, just a couple of corners and they stopped outside a door, Jorge fishing the key from the back pocket of his jeans. Once he had disposed of the lock, he held the door open for her and Savannah couldn’t help but think that for a fake boyfriend he was incredibly chivalrous.

Stepping inside, her jaw almost hit the impressively polished marble floor when she saw just how extensive the room- or rather _suite_ \- was. And she was only looking at the living area.

“What do you think?”

“I think it’s a bit excessive for two nights, don’t you?”

“Well, I needed something with two bedrooms without booking two rooms so unless you’re devoutly Catholic and we’re waiting for marriage…”

Unable to keep from laughing at that, Savi shook her head, more out of disbelief than anything. “So if I said I wouldn’t mind sharing a bed then you would have booked a nice, quaint double room?”

He pretended to contemplate that for a moment. “Probably not, no. But I travel an awful lot and spend a good portion of my time in motorhomes or pokey hotel rooms so when I’m not working I like to have a little more space, is that okay?”

 _Naaaw_. “That’s fine with me,” she held up her hands, “no problem here.”

“Glad we cleared that one up. So, dinner? We can go down to the restaurant or we can order room service? Your choice.”

“Depends on you. Are you in the mood for potentially being recognised?”

Giving a little shrug, he crossed his arms. “For the most part it’s okay here. Whatever you want.”

Smiling softly, Savannah pretended to contemplate that for a moment, shifting from one foot to the other. “Hmm… order room service and a bottle of wine and get a little bit tipsy?”

“Perfect.”

It turned out that a bottle of wine turned into 3, accompanied by a little bit of vodka too. They ate, they laughed, they even cried and it just felt so therapeutic for the Yamaha rider to just be able to let loose, to know that he could say whatever he wanted and not be judged for it. They drank a toast to Luis, and Marco and everyone else who had ever died doing what they loved.

In the early hours of the morning, Jorge and Savannah both passed out on top of the covers of Jorge’s bed, the second room left completely untouched.

*

“Jorge.”

They had been lingering outside the church, passing on their condolences to the family and conversing with some of the riders that had up to pay their respects (one very noticeable absence causing Jorge to grit his teeth) when his name was called from behind, the look on Dani’s face telling him all needed to know.

“Papá,” trying not to sound too disdainful, Jorge shook his father’s hand, seeing Savannah’s plump lips form a delicate ‘o’ shape out of the corner of his eye. He couldn’t exactly blame her for her surprise given that he’d forgotten to warn her that there was a possibility of this happening.

“Dani, nice to see you again.”

The Repsol rider followed suit, though it was clear from his face that it was anything but a pleasure. “Chicho. I suppose I better go find Marc since he’s my lift to the airport. See you in Assen.” He disappeared just as quickly as Jorge’s father had materialised, leaving Chicho looking curiously between his son and the brunette by his side.

“Aren’t you going to introduce us?”

 _What’s the point? You’re going to hate her anyway._ Usually, Jorge might have been tempted to say just that, but since a funeral was neither the time not the place for a family spat… “Papá, this is Savannah,” he spoke in his native language before switching to English, “Savannah this is my father, Chicho.”

Putting on her best smile, Savannah tried her best to act as if she hadn’t just been thrown for a loop and greeted the older man with a kiss on both cheeks. “It’s so nice to meet you, Mr Lorenzo. I just wish it were under better circumstances.” She desperately hoped that she was playing her part right, not yet having discussed the issue of what they would tell parents with Jorge.

He seemed to observe her carefully, as if trying to work something out. “The pleasure is mine. It’s funny, I didn’t even know you had a new girlfriend, Jorge.”

Equally interested in hearing the response to that, Savi inconspicuously glanced up at the MotoGP rider from beneath her lashes. “It’s recent. I’m sorry that you two had to meet before I could tell you or mama but, well, you know the situation.”

“No matter. I would like to take the two of you to lunch, however. I haven’t seen you in a while and I would love to get to know Savannah.”

“I would love that too,” the petite German grinned, hoping her enthusiasm hid her internal discomfort and anxiety.

Jorge remained unsure, but he couldn’t exactly say no after Savannah had accepted the invitation so enthusiastically without looking like he had something to hide. “Yeah, okay. Let’s do it.”

_Savi, I hope you’re good…_


	11. Chicho

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long!! I'm trying to update everything and this chapter has been partly written for a year now so here you go!  
> This one is for JustLyra because I have been telling her I'll update for so long and always failed to do so... :P

After finding parking close to the restaurant, chosen- of course- by Chicho, Jorge placed a hand firmly on his ‘girlfriend’s’ arm, making her fall back a step or two. “Be prepared, he’s probably going to hate you.”

Savi, who always considered herself a likeable person, blanched. “What do you mean? I met him like ten seconds ago, how could he hate me already?”

“It’s not you specifically,” he promised, reaching out and threading their fingers together when his father cast a look over his shoulder, “he’s only ever liked one of my girlfriends and he was using her to get to me. So don’t be surprised if he’s not exactly pleasant.”

Still frowning, Savanah nodded nevertheless, forcing a smile as she thanked Chicho for holding the door for her. Usually priding herself on being able to tackle anything put before her, she had to admit that she felt completely out of her depth; if he was anything like his son, which she strongly suspected he was, Chicho would be a smart, sharp man and she feared that he would see right through them. Through her. And if he didn’t… well, she wasn’t exactly sure what would happen then.

It was obviously a restaurant that the Lorenzo family- or part of it at least- frequented, as both men were greeted by name while they were seated immediately, at what appeared to be the nicest table in the house. Savi took the inside next to the window, grateful when Chicho elected to take the seat opposite his son rather than sitting across from her.

“So,” the eldest of the three began pouring them each a glass of water, “how long have you two been seeing each other?”

“Just a little over a month. We were introduced by Albert at the gala in Zurich that I went to.”

Eyebrows raising, the corner of his mouth twitched as if to say ‘how nice…’ “So, Savanah, what is it that you do?”

“I’m a diver,” she said, feeling more than a little bit smug at the surprise that he, despite his best attempts, failed to hide, “10 metre platform.”

Jorge had to take a sip of water to keep from giggling, earning him a reproachful glance from his father. “That takes a lot of skill.”

“Savi is European champion. She’s going to Rio at the end of the summer.”

“Congratulations, that’s quite an achievement.”

“Thank you,” feeling that they now had the upper hand, Savi grinned at the man beside her, whose arm now rested around her shoulders, “It’s still a little surreal but Jorge’s help has been invaluable. I mean, to be given advice by a five-time world champion is quite amazing.”

“I know how you’re feeling, that’s all.”

His head almost beginning to spin, Chicho was glad when the waitress interrupted to take their orders. Well, this certainly wasn’t what he had been expecting…

*

“And you’re Swiss, Savanah?”

“Oh, no. I’m from Munich but I’m living in Zurich. Much better training facilities.”

“Living alone?”

Chuckling as she thought of Charlie, Savi shook her head. “No, I live with my best friend. She’s a nurse at a hospital quite close to where we live. To be honest, I’m not sure I’d like living on my own, I’d get too lonely.”

Chicho didn’t join his son and the young woman in their laughter, borderline scowl not moving a centimetre. “And you said that it was Albert who introduced you? I suppose you hit it off right away.”

Once again, Savi laughed, looking over at Jorge to find that he at least had the decency to look a little bit embarrassed. “Not quite. Our managers seemed a little bit _too_ eager for us to get on well. We spoke for a couple of minutes but nothing more.”

“Then I made the mistake of entrusting my phone to Marc and he liked what seemed like all of her Instagram photos so that I would be forced to talk to her and explain that I’m not a stalker. It was then that we started talking, got to know each other and realised that we were actually quite well suited to each other.”

“The wonders of modern technology,” Chicho dryly quipped, “When are you planning on introducing Savanah to your mother and Laura?”

“Soon enough. It’s hard to find a time that suits us both. Especially with all Savanah’s preparations for the Olympics.”

“Exactly,” the brunette nodded, “but we’ll make time somewhere. It’s important.” She wasn’t sure they would, but it was unclear how her unplanned meeting of Chicho would change things. It wasn’t too bad, she supposed, given Jorge’s warning that he was inevitably going to hate her, but Jorge’s mother… well, that felt more than a little bit wrong.

*

Silence engulfed the table in the moments immediately following Savi’s departure for the bathroom, and Jorge could almost hear the wheels turning in his father’s head, wondering how long it would take for him to call them out on their evidently farcical relationship.

But then again…

“I like her.”

Jorge probably would have been less surprised if he’d just been told that Chicho wasn’t actually his father but some crime lord operating under an alias, living a double life. “What.”

The older man frowned. “I like her. She’s a nice girl and I think she’s good for you.”

The statement was so completely absurd that Jorge actually couldn’t help but laugh, real stomach-clutching laughter, earning them a couple of sideways glances from those at nearby tables. It was just so completely typical- of all the girlfriend’s he’d had in the past, the one that his father _actually liked_ wasn’t even a real one. The irony of the situation astounding, he waved his father off when he raised an eyebrow in silent question. “I’m sorry, but that is the _last_ thing I expected to come out of your mouth.”

“You didn’t think I would like her.”

“I was _convinced_ you wouldn’t like her. Why would she be any different to the rest?”

“It is different,” Chicho shook his head, “You seem level-headed about this one. It’s not jump first, ask questions later like it has been many a time in the past. I think the fact that she has an equally busy schedule will be good for you.”

 _So it’s not that you like her, it’s the fact that we’ll hardly see each other that you find appealing. Why am I not surprised?_ “Well, I suppose that’s something at least. I’m glad you approve.”

“I do. She’s got her career to worry about and she’s very young…”

“Any normal parent would be citing those as bad things.”

“I’m just saying. We both know that she’s not going to want to settle down and have children any time soon. How old is she exactly?”

Jaw tightening, Jorge couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “Twenty two.”

Raising his hands, Chicho smirked. “See? In her prime.”

He probably should have counted himself lucky that Savanah chose that moment to return, forcing the MotoGP rider to swallow the retort that had been on the tip of his tongue. Fingers brushing the nape of his neck as she shimmied by to get to the inside, she chuckled as she sat down once again, oblivious to the tension between the two men.

“This place is like a maze! I didn’t think I would ever find my way back…”

*

“So…” Finally back in the safety of the car, Savi chewed on her lip as she fastened her seatbelt. “What’s the verdict? Just how much did he detest me? Comparatively, of course.”

Still unable to come to terms with this turn of events, Jorge’s eyebrows raised as he turned to look at her, absentmindedly starting the engine. “He didn’t.”

She frowned. “Didn’t what?”

“He didn’t hate you. He actually said he liked you…”

Blinking momentarily, her frowned cracked into a smile as she began to chuckle to herself, feeling just the _slightest_ bit smug. “Wow, I feel vindicated. I knew you were being dramatic.”

“I wasn’t being dramatic. And, before you get too excited, I’m sorry to inform you that it’s because he think you’ll be too busy yourself to be a distraction to me. And you’re too young to want a family.”

 _Oh._ Savi’s cheeks flushed as she tried to picture herself swollen with his child and failed miserably. But then again, at the stage she was at in both life and her career, she couldn’t picture herself with _anyone’s_ child. Thinking was as good as wishing, but, then again, she was having literally no sex so _that_ certainly wouldn’t be a problem. “I see.”

“Yeah. I’m not surprised. He supports this ‘relationship’ because it’s not as real as the others, only he doesn’t know that’s why.”

“Well it might be a good thing? Does this mean he won’t ask as many questions?”

“Quite possibly. You never know with my father.”

Observing him as he pulled out onto the street, Savanah couldn’t help but smile as she poked his cheek. It was only after his head quickly turned in her direction that she realised that it might not have been the best time. _Oops._ “Sorry, but you need to stop frowning or you’ll get wrinkles. I know it’s been a weird couple of days, but you don’t need to keep analysing what happened with your father. Let him think what he wants, it doesn’t make a difference anyway. Okay?”

His eyes returned to the road but the corners of his mouth pulled upwards, little dimples appearing again. “Okay.”


End file.
